This Vermont manor harbours a wealth of hidden features and dark stories behind its sunny yellow exterior. Built in 1818, the 8,000-square-foot residence sits on 5.7 acres, hosts a secret below ground and even boasts gangster links. This historic home really does have it all, and it could be yours for around £571,000 or $705k. Click or scroll through to take an enlightening tour…

Rumoured to have once served as a stop-off point for the Underground Railroad, the network that aided the escape of fugitive slaves from the south to the north and Canada in the 1800s, the historic manor sits near the Missisquoi River in Vermont, on the shores of Goose Bay, Lake Champlain. Surrounded by towering fir trees and snow-covered vistas, the house itself was built in 1818 by Captain Steve Keyes before being sold to a doctor in 1870. This is when one rather creepy rumour begins…

While running his medical practice from the manor, local legend implies that Dr. Henry Baxter performed experiments on his children—and their remains can be found in the house, according to Vermont Living. Although this gruesome story hasn’t been proven, it’s not the only myth to uncover inside this 27-room home. More on that later...

Boasting over 8,000 square foot of living space, the interiors feature pumpkin pie flooring, chestnut woodwork, decorative ornate wallpaper and soaring 10-foot ceilings throughout. A living room and parlour host original Mable Rumford fireplaces on either side, while a library awaits beyond a separate entrance.

Though brimming with history, you’ll find a freshly remodelled kitchen awaits, offering soapstone worktops, custom cabinetry, a commercial stove and even a built-in wine rack, according to the listing. You can also enjoy a walk-in pantry with charming French doors and a large island, alongside a formal dining room ideal for hosting guests.

New owners will have their pick of five grand and luxuriously decorated bedrooms on the second floor, with a further two bedrooms on the third floor offering glorious views across the grounds via huge, floor-to-ceiling arched windows. Also on the second floor, you’ll find a veranda overlooking the 5.7-acreage below. 

In 1957, a 2,500-square-foot ballroom was added. The space features a vaulted ceiling with exposed beams, a custom bar, stage, updated bathrooms, and even a commercial kitchen. 

But it's a famous 'guest' that really makes this property so intriguing. “The home has such an incredible history,” says listing agent Stacie M. Callan, of Century 21 MRC.   “Al Capone is said to have been here. It was his stopping point when he was smuggling alcohol across the border to Canada during Prohibition.”

Indeed, the expansive estate has played host to many visitors over the years, acting as a bed and breakfast, restaurant and bar, wedding venue and even a dance hall. With seven bedrooms, intriguing history and picture-perfect vistas, it could become a wonderful guest residence once again, perhaps with a gangster theme this time. From creepy local legends to criminals, how's that for a home with a history?

From architectural wonders to ancient European castles, historic houses often have fascinating tales to tell. Plus, they can make remarkable modern-day homes. As memorable as their former residents and designers, these distinguished dwellings, available for purchase, have played host to monks, tycoons, queens and A-listers, their legends bolstering their eye-watering price tags. Click or scroll to discover their amazing stories...

Now a quaint family home, this former tollhouse in the charming and historic village of Litcham in Norfolk in the UK is now on the market for a modest £650,000 ($802k). The property is Grade II-listed and operated as the village tollhouse until 1912, at which point it was reimagined as the village museum and home of the Litcham Historical Society. Under a painstaking restoration courtesy of its most recent owners, however, the building was transformed into a family home, nevertheless retaining the character and charm of the original structure.

The home offers four bedrooms and three bathrooms over 2,500 square feet, with original hardwood flooring, vaulted ceilings, exposed brickwork and original wooden beams throughout. The home’s first floor features an office and dining room, both with bay windows looking out over the garden. Next to the dining room is a perfect country kitchen, complete with wooden worktops, creamy cabinets, a stone flag floor and exposed flintwork. Also on the first floor is the guest bedroom and ensuite, as well as a family bathroom featuring an antique rolltop bath.

At the rear of the home is the main reception room, the perfect gathering place for family and friends, with soaring vaulted ceilings, exposed beams, exposed flint and brickwork painted in warm, neutral colours and a cosy wood-burning stove. Upstairs, the master bedroom overlooks the garden and is connected to the third bedroom by means of a mezzanine overlooking the reception room. This space is currently configured as a dressing room for the master suite, but it could easily be reimagined as a reading nook, playroom, or office space.

The home sits on 1.5 acres of land, consisting of a formal lawn, a garden and woodlands that house plenty of local wildlife, including hedgehogs, badgers and many species of bird. Also situated on the property are a chicken coop, a potting shed, a detached double garage and a disused limekiln dating to 1830 which has four accurately centred barrel-vaulted passages. Offering both historical charm and modern comforts, this gorgeously preserved home is the perfect country retreat for a young family.

Designed by James Playgoer and completed by Sir John Soane, one of the foremost architects of the Regency era, the historic Cairness House proudly resides atop 16 acres of Scottish highland. Set behind a country road drive that stretches almost a mile and is guarded by two stone sphinxes at the entrance, Cairness House has been described by Country Life as “one of Europe’s finest neoclassical buildings".

The classical interiors are thanks to James Playfair’s influences, brought back with him from his early 1790s “grand tour”. Original plasterwork can be found throughout, not least in the Etruscan library room with its rich palette based on ancient painted terracotta vases. It is said that an earlier structure of the house still stands within the core, dating back to 1781-1872 and built by Robert Burn, which was refurbished and expanded by Playfair 10 years later.

Cairness House is described as an “ultimate expression of the Enlightenment ideals of the late 18th century”, as per the listing, reflecting its neoclassical design, construction and furnishing. You’ll find a grand total of seven reception rooms that form a long enfilade, each boasting south-facing windows with long, stretching views across the grassy hills of Aberdeenshire.

Outside, among a charming semi-circle of outbuildings, is a four-acre walled garden beautifully planted with fruit trees and framed by large conifers. Elsewhere, an arboretum of approximately 150 young specimen trees were planted to mark the Queen's golden jubilee. You’ll also find two gated lodges dating from 1891, with one having been renovated as a holiday cottage. With all this, a four-storey main residence and 10 bedrooms to choose from, it’s surely a steal at just shy of £1.3 million ($1.5m).

You may be forgiven for assuming this turreted castle belongs in Eastern Europe, dating back to medieval times. In fact, this charming property is found in Irvington, New York and was built in 1929. Now on the market for just over £1.4 million ($1.6m), let's take a tour and discover its former glamorous residents...

The NY castle is nicknamed Villa Keen, having been designed for Irvington locals Joseph Keen and his wife before Broadway musical writer Robert Wright snapped it up. Inspired by Cinderella, the property boasts 3,500 square-foot of idyllic interiors featuring Austrian crystal chandeliers, stately stone pillars and Mackenzie-Childs fixtures.

A Chesney fireplace mantle and gilded dressing mirror shine in one reception room, glowing under an ornate stained glass window which can also be found in the turret bedroom above. We’re sure the former VIP residents, Academy Award-winning actress Shirley Jones, Tony award-winning actor Jack Cassidy and their multi-platinum recording artist son, Shaun Cassidy, enjoyed such lavish design.

Across almost two-and-a-half acres, Villa Keen offers a pool with plentiful poolside lounge areas for glamorous guests to sun themselves and enjoy the views. A raised hot tub and pool house also beckon, promising the VIP life and fistfuls of history for the relatively modest £1.4 million ($1.6m).

A perfect mashup of two different historic homes, this unique property in Lyme, Connecticut is a true architectural masterstroke. The original home is an antique colonial that has stood on the hill overlooking Hamburg Cove since its construction in 1760. However, in 1989, the house acquired a rather unconventional wing: the entirety of the Captain John Mansfield House, which was imported from Wallingford, Connecticut, and reconstructed as an addition to the original colonial.

The two homes are connected by a new kitchen that features double-height ceilings and large arched windows, which, much like the Mansfield house itself, were architectural imports, this time pilfered from nearby Middlebury College. Between the two conjoined houses, the property offers five bedrooms and four bathrooms. The original home is built into an embankment, with the lower level opening out onto a manicured rose garden, complete with a fountain, arbor, and garden house.

Not only is the property a marriage of two different structures, it's also a marriage of two different interior styles as well. While the (relatively) newly constructed kitchen and dining area features more modern décor, with prominent use of the exterior’s striking shade of pink, both the Mansfield and 1760 homes are perfect time capsules, featuring original hardwood flooring, exposed beam ceilings, fireplaces, mantles, wainscotting and moulding details. These elements are displayed best in the main parlour, library and music rooms, all of which are housed in the Mansfield wing.

The home, which is currently listed for just less than £1.5 million ($1.8m), offers 5,536 square feet of space in total, and is situated on a 6.7-acre lot. The parcel also includes a large post-and-beam barn, which was brought in from its original home in the White Mountains of New Hampshire (are we sensing a pattern yet?), and which now serves as the property’s garage and storage facility. With so many unique details, this architecturally eclectic property will certainly make an excellent home for any history lover.

Completed in 1924, this grand mansion is the work of home-grown millionaire Welker F. Henning, the first of his kind in Casper, Wyoming. The blonde brick palace resides on the corner of 11th and Wolcott Streets, is estimated to have cost the equivalent of £5.6 million ($6.9m) to build and is still drawing attention to this day.

Enjoying an exclusive tour of the manse once finished, Casper Sunday Tribune reporter Arnold B. Larson described the grand home as a “luxurious treasure land, a Hollywood set of unparalleled gorgeousness”. With silk-lined walls, candelabras and chandeliers, original artworks and a reception hall lined with Chinese tapestry, we’re not surprised.

The showy Henning mansion boasts a wood-panelled library with writing desk and large multi-panelled windows, further illuminated by yet another chandelier above. Elsewhere, the sprawling residence also features a large ballroom, though the Hennings were reportedly not fans of entertaining large gatherings.

While the five-bedroom Wyoming mansion appears idyllic, behind closed doors the owners were not in wedded bliss. Following a 10-day trial in Buffalo, Lucille Henning reportedly won a £90,000 ($110k) divorce settlement “based on alleged indignities and extreme cruelty”. William remained in his beloved mansion until he passed. Should you fancy a slice of millionaire magic, the Henning Mansion is currently on sale for just shy of £1.9 million ($2.4m) with Lisa Burridge & Associates Real Estate.

Now, how about a Scottish castle in Kansas? The Campbell Castle is listed on the Local, State and National Register of Historical Places and can be found in the picturesque surrounds of Wichita, Kansas. Built between 1886 and 1888 by Colonel Burton Harvey Campbell and his wife Ellen, the historic home is said to be an authentic reproduction of a Richardsonian Romanesque castle from Scotland. Let’s take a look around…

If the exterior piqued your interest, wait ’til you peek inside. A grand foyer with soaring ceilings, antique limestone walls and stained glass windows welcomes you into the main residence via the 300-year old staircase, boasting 15,000 square-foot of living space alongside its own carriage house.

The stained glass originates from Germany, imported by Colonel Campbell along with a wealth of European fixtures found throughout, including hand-carved fretwork and numerous fireplaces. Six of the 17 bedrooms boast their own Whirlpool bath tub, such as this wood-panelled, pretty-in-pink number. 

Elsewhere, you’ll find a state-of-the-art chef’s kitchen, a solarium, a basement with wet bar and even a coffee bar. Should you wish to take your coffee with a view across your two acres, you can enjoy the Little Arkansas River and surrounding Wichita skyline from one of three balconies on the second floor, or from the open rooftop area of the main turret. Campbell Castle could be yours for just £2.8 million ($3.5m), now for sale with Coldwell Banker Distinctive Properties.

Fans of Pride and Prejudice may recognise this pastel pink home from its appearance in the 1995 BBC TV miniseries, in which it served as Longbourn estate, the Bennet family residence. However, the real-life Luckington Court, located in the UK's dreamy English Cotswolds, has just been placed on the market, offering Austen acolytes the chance to live like Lizzie Bennet for just £5 million ($6.1m). With eight bedrooms and seven bathrooms, the property's origins date back to the 11th century, and it still boasts numerous original Tudor features, as well as some 16th-century remodelling.

Not only is the property a landmark in popular culture, but it boasts some historical significance as well. Local history of the surrounding area places Luckington Court on the site of a manor, recorded in the Domesday Book as “Lochintone”, which was owned by King Harold II before his death in the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The Grade II-listed estate was first remodelled and extended in 1632, and again in 1921, but has retained the stylistic and architectural integrity of its 11th-century origins.

Built with creamy Cotswolds stone, the home features plenty of original detailing, including hardwood parquet floors, inglenook fireplaces, panel moulding, an enclosed staircase with turned balusters and an elegant triple-aspect stone loggia, which connects the interior and exterior of the home by means of a set of French doors. The home includes not one but two kitchens, as well as a scullery, sitting room, drawing room, dining room, music room and study, where you can easily imagine Mr Bennet buried in his books.

The estate is situated on nearly 19 acres, which consist of a mixture of pasture, woodland and water frontage on the River Avon. The property includes five additional cottages, as well as some more traditional outbuildings, such as a stable block, farm buildings, an outdoor riding school and a traditional 17th-century limestone dovecote. The listing advertises the parcel as an equestrian facility, and while the potential for commercial development exists, the extraordinary home also offers the unique opportunity to live out your literary fantasies in private luxury.

Described as “one of the best-kept 16th-century houses in Scotland”, this magnificent castle in Leuchars, Fife looks straight out of a storybook. Earlshall Castle was once a hunting lodge belonging to the Earls of Fife, relatives of King Robert de Bruce, and was constructed by Sir William Bruce in 1546. The castle boasts an illustrious history, having played host to both Mary Queen of Scots and James VI of Scotland, later James I of England, and is currently looking for a new owner, with a list price of £8 million ($9.8m).

The most famous of the home’s ancestral owners was the notorious Sir Andrew the Bloody Bruce, Baron of Earlshall, whose footsteps, it is said, can still be heard on the castle’s spiral staircase. After the Bruce line died out in 1708, the forgotten castle fell into a state of disrepair from which it was ultimately rescued in 1890 by Robert Mackenzie, who hired a young Robert Lorimer, now considered one of Scotland’s greatest architects, to carry out its restorations.

However, the castle remains full to the brim with Scottish artifacts, artistry and ancestral tributes. In the Great Hall, the large granite fireplace commemorates the marriage of Alexander Bruce, while the full length of the 50-foot ceiling is painted with the coats of arms of European royalty, Scottish noble families and even some imaginary nobles. In addition to its eight spectacular reception rooms, the castle includes 10 bedrooms, two dressing rooms, and six bathrooms in all.

With 8,398 square feet of room within the castle walls, not to mention the additional three cottages, multiple outbuildings and five-car garage, the property is anything but short on living space. However, for those who long for the great outdoors, the castle is set on 53 acres of land, which include the famous walled garden also designed by Sir Robert Lorimer. This spectacular garden features an orchard, rose terrace, bowling green, yew walk, “secret garden” and a topiary lawn, the trees of which are more than 125 years old.

This spectacular Gilded Age relic was once the summer home of Emily T Vanderbilt, granddaughter of the prolific industrialist Cornelius Vanderbilt, and her husband William D. Sloane. Designed by Peabody and Sterns in 1886, the home is nestled in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, which, much like Newport in Rhode Island, served as a popular summer retreat for New York City’s elite in the 19th century, who spent fortunes on the construction of sumptuous summer homes, or “cottages”, for seasonal use.

The house was expanded multiple times during the Vanderbilts' residency, and today boasts 55,000 square feet of living space and over 65 rooms, making it the largest shingle-style residence in the US. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the home was also the last Berkshire ''cottage'' to remain with its original family, who sold it on to its current owners as recently as 2012. Today, however, with a total of 18 bedrooms and 25 bedrooms, the property is crying out to be developed into a glamorous country resort.

The house has been listed by Compass for £10.1 million ($12.5m), although the listing does specify that a fair bit of work is still required to bring the property up to current standards. However, the trade-off for a bit of maintenance is a home steeped in both social and architectural history. With original parquet flooring, exquisitely carved fireplaces, built-in bookcases, sweeping staircases and spectacular crown mouldings in every room, the home is a true masterclass in Gilded Age grandeur.

In addition to the magnificent house itself, the parcel includes 89 acres designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the world-famous landscape architect of greenspaces such as Central Park and Boston’s Public Garden. The grounds include woods, open fields, walled gardens, follies and stunning views, as well as extensive frontage on scenic Lily Pond. The property is also punctuated by numerous outbuildings, including what were once the former butler's and gardener's cottages, a caretaker's house, a carriage house, stables, two barns and several greenhouses.

Tucked away on a quiet street in Manhattan’s leafy Upper West Side, this charming early 20th-century brownstone was once the residence of jazz legend Billie Holiday. This perfectly preserved Renaissance Revival townhouse has maintained its classical detailing in spite of restorations and renovations, and boasts seven bedrooms and six-and-a-half bathrooms. Steeped in architectural and musical history, this magnificent apartment is currently on the market for just under £10.5 million ($13m).

The property may only be 20 feet in width, but its six storeys offer 6,300 square feet of space in which to spread out. Moreover, the home includes a private patio with enough room for both a seating and dining area, a true luxury in New York City. If more outdoor space is required, the house is conveniently located across the street from Central Park and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, so there are countless options for outdoor recreation.

Featuring large windows, soaring 10- and 12-foot ceilings and a skylight, the home is light, bright and airy, with new white oak flooring complimented by mahogany and maple detailing throughout. The first two floors offer a mud room, private office, formal dining room, stunning marble-clad kitchen, multiple spacious entertaining rooms and a wet bar, though vino-lovers will be pleased to know there is also a wine cellar in the basement!

The third floor is designed as the home’s primary suite, with its own lounge area, fireplace and dressing room. The hotel-quality ensuite features heated floors, a soaking tub, dual sinks and a spa shower, with white marble detailing throughout. There's also a separate private library with its own fireplace. The final two storeys house the other four bedrooms, each with their own full bathroom. With plenty of room for everyone to have their own space, the property would make an ideal family home.

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