Rightmove, the UK's largest online real estate portal, celebrated its 25th birthday in October 2025. To mark the occasion, it revealed the most bonkers, baffling, and brilliant British homes ever listed on the site.
From a property with an indoor skate park to a home with a high-heel-shaped bathtub, these remarkable residences went viral almost overnight.
Click or scroll to take a look at 25 homes that almost broke the internet...
As beautiful as it is tall, this brutalist concrete tower lies in the Hampshire village of Sway and, from its uppermost floors, provides fantastic views of New Forest National Park.
The iconic Grade II listed tower soars up 220 feet (67m) and was designed and built by Andrew Thomas Turton Peterson. Most of the home's five floors measure just 27 square feet (2.5sqm), yet there are four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room, a dining room, and even an indoor pool. The residence was for sale in 2021 for a cool £2.8 million.
Unsurprisingly, Tolkien fans were obsessed with this earth-sheltered home in West Yorkshire when it hit the market in August 2025, for £1.4 million. A modern-day hobbit house, the property is embedded into a hillside and boasts a turf roof and round windows and doors.
However, the pad is deceptively big and around the back, you'll find glass sliding doors that connect the interior to a patio. Inside, there's 3,900 square feet (362sqm) of space, including four bedrooms, a music room, a cave, and even a swimming pool.
Could you live in a house surrounded by a graveyard? Well, in 2019, this property in Norfolk was Rightmove's most-viewed home of the year. The Methodist chapel was closed in 2014, before being refurbished by its former owners, who are said to have invested a significant amount in renovations.
Sadly, when it came time to sell, the owners struggled. The place was originally valued at £630,000, but was eventually reduced to just £450,000.
This impressive private island off the coast of Essex went viral in early 2025, and not because of its 380-acre (154ha) size, its 38 residential properties, or its world-class events venue. No, Rightmove users were far more interested in the island's history.
During World War One, speedboats carrying torpedoes operated from a secret naval base on the island, and in 2012, The Woman in Black was filmed here. The island also boasts a recording studio, which Stormzy and Rihanna are said to have used. It's no wonder the island sold for around £25 million.
Fans of TV's Grand Designs might recognise this majestic house. The former water tower was constructed in the 1850s and was abandoned when Leigh Osborne and Graham Voce bought it in 2010 for £380,000.
They are said to have spent close to £2 million turning the tower into a luxury home. However, the unique 10-storey property struggled to find a buyer when it was listed in 2021. It finally sold for close to £2.8 million.
From high-rise living to burrowing below the ground. This cosy apartment is located in Nottingham, in a building that started life as the French Consulate in 1849. An awesome secret room carved out of rock is accessed via a staircase inside the living room.
At the time of its sale in 2020, the property's cave room was being used as a movie theatre and came with a flat screen TV, reclining leather armchairs, and a mechanical ventilation and heat-recovery system. The home (cave and all) was sold for around £325,000.
Situated in Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, this incredible home caught the internet's attention for obvious reasons. Both charming and quirky, the windmill was originally built in 1839, but by 1861 it had been decommissioned.
Today, the Grade II-listed structure is a characterful home, arranged over four storeys. There's just 984 square feet (91.4sqm) of space inside, including a lounge, a kitchen, and three bedrooms. Listed in April 2025, the windmill was priced at £308,500.
This vivid house became a phenomenon in November 2013, when over three million people went online to view its unusual interior. In fact, it topped the list of Rightmove's most viewed properties in 2013.
And it isn't hard to see why. Every single room inside the 1,532-square-foot (142sqm) home was painted in the same shade of violet, creating an "all-encompassing purple experience that certainly didn’t go unnoticed online", as Rightmove put it! Its asking price? £400,000.
How often, if at all, have you ever seen a lighthouse for sale? Well, that's partly why this Scottish gem gained so much attention back in the summer of 2024.
The abandoned lighthouse keeper's buildings on the uninhabited isle of Copinsay, Scotland, became available for sale for just £80,000. The two-storey main building features seven bedrooms, while three additional outbuildings offered one lucky buyer the renovation of a lifetime.
We've all been stuck at a railway station, awaiting a long-delayed train. But how many of us can say we've lived in one? When this Grade II-listed former station hit the market in October 2024 for £850,000, it went viral almost immediately.
Nestled in Westhumble, Surrey, the house is literally attached to the platform that welcomes regular trains to London, making commuting incredibly easy. The owner will, however, have to put up with passengers standing outside their windows and the regular sound of passing trains.
When an entire 14th-century castle hit the market in September 2025, social media users were sent into a frenzy. The Grade I-listed castle has been owned by the Ingilby family for over 700 years and is steeped in history.
Enclosed by 166 acres (67ha) of land, the estate came complete with a hotel, a wedding venue, a village shop, a tea room, a Registered Parkland, and gorgeous formal gardens. The cost? A cool £7.5 million.
Proving that London's housing market doesn't offer much bang for your buck, this skinny property in Kensington measures just 538 square feet (49sqm), over three seven-foot-wide (2.1m) floors.
Despite its dimensions and two mere bedrooms, the house was listed for just shy of £1.2 million in May 2025. The home's cosy and cleverly thought-out interior made it a highly popular listing for prospective buyers and real estate enthusiasts alike.
Another property hiding a big secret is this personality-rich pad in Shropshire. From the outside, it appears to be an ordinary terraced house, but the home's basement is truly mind-blowing.
Carved from sandstone, it benefits from 24 pillars and brick arches, akin to a church's cloisters. The house reportedly once belonged to an eccentric artist, who hand-carved and built the medieval-style space. The pad was for sale in July 2023, for £295,000.
Who doesn't love a good church conversion? Originally constructed in 1846, this incredible Gothic church was brought back to life following an extensive six-year restoration.
From the outside, it looks ready to welcome a congregation. But inside, the 4,800-square-foot (446sqm) property is modern, light-filled, and bursting with character. The highlight is the main hall; once the nave, now a dramatic open-plan living space with soaring Gothic arches and double-height windows. The pad hit the market in July 2025 for £995,000.
Fans of the long-running TV show Doctor Who stirred up a social media buzz when this residence landed on the market in 2013. The former barn in Exeter, Devon, came complete with a full-scale replica of the Doctor's famous blue Tardis located in the hallway next to the stairs.
The property was for sale for £425,000 with Stags Estate Agents, who, for some unknown reason, decided to leave mention of the Tardis out of the property's description.
In August 2025, house hunters had the opportunity to snap up their very own private island off the coast of Pembrokeshire, Wales. Priced at a cool £3 million, Thorne Island extends approximately 2.5 acres (1ha) and comes complete with a landmark military fort.
It was constructed between 1852 and 1854 as an outer defence to Milford Haven, which was, at the time, a large naval base. In 1932, it was turned into a family home and a quirky hotel. Completely off-grid, the island can only be reached via boat.
Nicknamed the Gazebo Tower, this Grade II-listed Victorian folly became an instant hit with property hunters when it landed on the market in September 2025. With its towering brick façade, round rooms, arched windows, and romantic spiral staircases, the quirky pad has plenty of wow-factor.
The best bit? A battery-operated sky hatch that leads to a roof terrace, offering panoramic views across Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire. Measuring just 645 square feet (60sqm), the house was priced at £300,000.
Named The Doll's House due to its teeny tiny proportions, this charming little cottage captured hearts, thanks to being just three feet (0.9m) wide. Described by Rightmove as 'pint-sized', the dinky property encompasses just 339 square feet (31.5sqm) across two floors.
Thought to be one of Britain’s narrowest homes, the house likely dates back to the mid-1800s and, unsurprisingly, features compact rooms filled with characterful details. It was marketed in early 2025 for £235,000.
From the outside, this five-bed house appears perfectly normal, with a modern brick and timber façade. Most of its interior spaces are also ordinary, albeit with floor-to-ceiling glass, pitched ceilings, and sleek wood floors. But that isn't what drew Rightmove fans to the listing in September 2024.
That's because the house boasts a cinema and games room designed to look like the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars. From reproduction spaceship doors to a replica flight deck, the space is seriously cool. In fact, it is said to have taken two years to complete. The house was priced at £1.7 million.
A juxtaposition of old and new, this Grade II-listed windmill proved to be an internet sensation when it went up for sale in late 2020. Located in West Sussex with views of the South Downs, the pad features the windmill itself, a roundhouse, a converted granary, and a 20th-century mill house. All this has been combined and reinvented to create a truly mind-blowing contemporary home.
After winning numerous awards, the property was put on the market with a £3 million price tag and sold via The Modern House.
Anyone who's ever dreamed of owning an entire village fell head over heels for this charming property. The seaside home, located in Polperro, Cornwall, came with an impressive miniature replica of the village in the back garden.
Featuring dozens of houses, shops, its own harbour, beach, and even a mini model village within the model village, the property proved hugely popular with browsers. Despite this, the price tag was reduced from £725,000 to £650,000 in October 2025, in a bid to secure a buyer.
When this converted Victorian bathhouse landed on the real estate market in April 2019, the internet went crazy over it. The pad had sat derelict for 20 years, until its former owner rescued it and transformed it into the coolest, most colourful carnival house imaginable.
Complete with arcade machines, a coconut shy, and fairground signage, the remarkable four-bedroom property was a treasure trove of oddities. Priced at £1.5 million, it also boasted a retro bowling alley in the living room, which apparently once belonged to former Chelsea FC owner, Roman Abramovich.
The Shark House needs no introduction. It might look like an optical illusion, but this terrace house in Oxfordshire really does have a 25-foot (7.6m) fibreglass shark sticking out of its roof. The sculpture was designed by Bill Heine and John Buckley in 1986 to highlight their opposition to war.
It was installed without permission and, after a six-year-long legal battle, authorities agreed the shark could stay. Today, it is listed on the Oxford Heritage Asset Register. In April 2025, the property landed on Rightmove for a cool £4,000 per month.
Imagine drinking your morning coffee next to a huge 13-foot (4m) vert wall. This youth hall was completely transformed by its former owner, when they decided to turn the interior into a skate park.
Of course, skaters and house hunters alike were left speechless by the property, which was on the market for £240,000 in late 2020. The 19th-century property even featured on Netflix's Amazing Interiors.
Rightmove described this home as "when history meets haute couture". The 16th-century, Grade II-listed cottage lies in Conwy, Wales, and racked up huge view numbers in January 2025. The reason? It features a large, stiletto-shaped bathtub in one of the bathrooms.
Not only that, but the shoe is covered in tiny, shimmering mosaic tiles for a catwalk-worthy finish. The house was priced at £875,000. Well, you can't put a price on haute couture!
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