July 05, 2007	Thursday	Jamadi-us-Sani 19, 1428

LONDON: A cave home, complete with front door, fireplace and a kitchen, was sold on Wednesday for 100,000 pounds at auction.

The aptly-named Rock Cottage in Wolverley, near Kidderminster, west central England, is hewn out of a sandstone cliff and comes complete with three other adjoining caves.

A family from the nearby city of Birmingham owned the cave, which was one of up to 50 “built” in the area in the late 18th century, for more than 100 years and was last inhabited in the 1940s.

In 2000, another of the caves, Rock House, was sold to an artist for 30,000 pounds -- three times the asking price.

Rock Cottage had a 25,000-pound guide price at Wednesday’s auction.

Auctioneer Roger Sadler said: “We are very pleased. You don't sell caves very often but it was a unique property that attracted an unbelievable amount of interest.” The cave, which has no electricity or water supply yet still attracted 50 viewings and bidders from as far away as Spain, comes with five acres (two hectares) of mixed woodland and associated garden land.

It was bought by a near neighbour who wanted to maintain its unusual character, Sadler said.—AFP