[Mrluvaluva]

Neverland has been left in ruins

The big top is tattered and torn, its candy-striped canvas flapping in the breeze.

A Ferris wheel rusts having not turned for years.

And where exotic animals used to parade in front of laughing visitors, now there are just empty enclosures.

These are the ghostly remains of Michael Jackson’s dream — his Neverland Ranch.

Our photos of the dilapidated US estate are sad proof that the King Of Pop’s career has taken a desperate nosedive.

Designed to be a children’s paradise, Neverland is reduced to an abandoned wasteland, with ramshackle fairground rides left in the open air.

The main house — built in the style of a Disney mansion — now with broken windows and peeling paintwork, looks more like a haunted castle.

And the once pruned and sculpted gardens are now wild and overgrown.

At its peak the ranch employed more than 50 full-time workers and had a zoo packed with elephants, giraffes, lions and monkeys.

Now the staff are all gone and a solitary pair of antelopes crouch in their enclosure, lonely and bored.

Neverland is up for auction after Jacko ran up debts of £12.5million in the day-to-day running of the lavish estate.

Located in the hills of Santa Barbara, California, the 2,800-acres will go under the hammer on March 19 unless the singer can raise the cash to keep it.

Yet amazingly, on Sunday two British tycoons launched a bid to buy the ranch with the intention of offering Jackson the chance to rent it back.

Fans Liam Collins, 29, and David Bone, 26, say they will shell out £15million just to make sure Jacko doesn’t lose his beloved home.

The Newcastle pair claim they started on the way to their own property fortune by busking to his music and doing his dances.

David said: “We want to see Jacko back on his feet. He’s had a real hard time of it.”

Liam added: “If it wasn’t for Michael’s music and his fantastic dance routines, it is possible we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

Jackson hasn’t lived at the property since his 2005 acquittal on child molestation charges.

He bought the ranch in 1987 intending to create a wonderland for children.

It was named as a tribute to the fantastical island in the story of Peter Pan, where children never grow up.

The eccentric singer once said in an interview he was just like Peter Pan — and that it was his dream to never grow old.

But unless he can pay off the debt his dream will be shattered, and Neverland will be sold at auction on the steps of the Santa Barbara County courthouse.

Jackson brought the estate at the height of his career for £11.3million.

The former Jackson Five star was at the time enjoying success with his third solo album Bad and had record-breaking sales across the world.

Children would regularly be invited over to the estate to play in the grounds and look at the animals.

But the annual upkeep for the property was estimated to be a staggering £2million during its prime, with 54 staff manning the estate full time.

Now the crumbling attractions, buildings and few animals left are looked after by a handful of loyal friends and relatives.

Throughout his four-month child molestation trial Jackson barricaded himself inside the property. Fans kept vigils outside and plastered banners of support across the giant gates.

When he was eventually cleared of all charges fans hoped the doors would be reopened.

But that never happened.

Jackson abandoned his garish fairytale kingdom and fled to Bahrain. After repeatedly failing to pay his staff and insurance debts, frustrated authorities locked the gates.

Since then the estate has been left to rot and all of the zoo’s animals — apart from the sad antelopes — have been seized by animal welfare groups and sent to other zoos.

Jacko has debts of £160million, clocked up by legal costs and various failed business ventures.

In a last-ditch attempt to generate funds he recently released a 25th anniversary edition of his Thriller album, but sales have been poor.

It looks like even that legendary album is not going to get the thrill rides working again.


Original article and photos here

[Mrluvaluva]

Michael Jackson's Neverland ranch in California looks like it is in a state of disrepair. The pop star could lose the estate. He owes £12.5m on the property and it could be auctioned off.



The roof of Neverland's bumper car rink is torn and discoloured. The grass around the estate has not been watered for some time. The grounds were closed in 2006.



The fairground at the ranch north-west of Santa Barbara has not been used for than three years now. The carousel cover is also discoloured. Michael Jackson bought Neverland in 1987.



The zoo at Neverland has been closed for two years. The animals are being rehomed. Their keepers reportedly carried on working without pay after Michael Jackson shut the ranch.




Source

[Jackie]

Whose going to buy it after all those goings on in their?

[GiRTh]

^^Aye. After all the dodgy sexual goings on, I think Michael may struggle to sell his ranch.