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Elvis Presley art appears at abandoned Canterbury house after iconic poster is boarded-up

By: Brad Harper bharper@thekmgroup.co.uk

Published: 11:04, 28 January 2021

Updated: 11:05, 28 January 2021

Residents have been left all shook up after Elvis reappeared at a vacant home.

Tens of thousands of people have had a burning love for a poster of the King displayed in a window on the corner of St Peter's Place, Canterbury, over the past 42 years.

Elvis has reappeared at the vacant home in Canterbury. Picture: Zoe Plummer

When 14-year-old Corrinne Mills put it up in her bedroom, she had no idea it would become a treasured landmark.

But the top floor window was boarded-up last year which meant the iconic image could no longer be seen from the street.

However, the King has not left the building as an image of him has been spray-painted on the derelict home.

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And residents can’t help falling in love with the graffiti after a picture of it was posted on a local community Facebook group.

Corrinne moved to the house in August 1977 with mum Dorothy, dad Harry and youngster sister Annette.

A poster of Elvis was displayed for years at 31A St Peter's Place, Canterbury

Mr Mills was the foreman of Westgate Gardens and head gardener for parks across the district.

And with the job came the "tied cottage" at 31A St Peter's Place.

Corrinne had caught the Elvis bug off her older brother Peter and been a fan since the age of 10.

The rock and roll legend died on August 16, 1977. His final single Way Down stayed at number one for five weeks.

But when Corrinne put the 3D poster in her bedroom window she didn't attach too much significance to it.

Corrinne Mills put the iconic Elvis poster in her bedroom window

Six years ago she had to give up her job as a veterinary nurse to care for her mum.

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Dorothy suffered with dementia and sadly died in 2018 leaving just Corrinne in the council-owned three-bedroom house.

Then in March of that year, Corrinne had to downsize - and the now boarded-up building has stood eerily empty ever since.

But the Elvis poster remained on display in the window until eventually it was covered late last year.

Canterbury City Council spokesman Rob Davies said: “This property, which is owned by the council, is very dated and needs extensive modernisation and refurbishment.

“It is on a large plot of land and there are various physical and legal constraints.

“Any refurbishment would be a difficult and expensive project and would have to be paid for from our dedicated housing budget.

“We are therefore looking at a variety of options for the future of the site, in order to achieve the best use of the property and good value for the public.”

Read more: All the latest news from Canterbury

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