From architecturally designed wonders to ancient European castles, historic houses often have fascinating tales to tell—and they can make remarkable modern-day homes. As memorable as their former residents and designers, these distinguished dwellings for sale have played host to monks, tycoons, queens and A-listers, making them both beautiful and worthy of their eye-watering price tags. Click or scroll to discover their amazing stories...

If you've ever wanted to live in a converted building, then this listing offers the perfect opportunity. With almost 6,650 square feet of living space, this historic bank in Downtown Bennington, Vermont, appears plucked from a heist movie. Complete with everything you might expect to find in a working bank, this converted home is almost too cool to be true.

For sale via NEREN for £668,000 ($765k), the historic property was constructed in 1931 and has since been given a sensitive but unusual renovation. The home's current owner certainly has an eye for the obscure and has kitted the interior out with unusual trinkets, decorations and furnishings that could well have been collected from around the globe. Yet look beyond the decorations and you'll spot the building's notable architectural details...

Currently set up as a modern live/work space, the home's landmark features have been meticulously preserved. Outside, you'll find neo-classical Vermont marble and copper details, while inside there's ornate mouldings, polished brass chandeliers, ceiling medallions and marble floors. As well as extensive windows and seemingly endless ceilings, the property also retains the bank's original imported marble teller counters, complete with tear gas nozzles.

Yet the home's three working bank vaults have to be its most alluring feature. The current owner has decorated the vault with artwork, creating a unique space to display their favourite pieces. Elsewhere, there's four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a mezzanine level that has been turned into a games room, and a family kitchen. If you're seeking a standout home that's totally one of a kind, then you won't find anything quite like this!

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 £700,000 ($800k). 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 the painstaking restoration of its most recent owners, however, the building was transformed into a family home which nevertheless retains 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 woodburning 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, which consist of a formal lawn, garden, and woodlands that house plenty of local wildlife, including hedgehogs, badgers, and many local birds. Also situated on the property are a chicken coop, potting shed, detached double garage, and a disused limekiln dating to 1830 which has four accurately centred barrel-vaulted passages. With both historical charm and modern comforts, this gorgeously preserved home is the perfect country retreat for a young family.

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 the 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 £1.7 million ($2m), 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.

The Dolobran Estate, a sprawling 17,000-square-foot home in Haverford, Pennsylvania, was erected in 1881 for Clement A. Griscom, founder of the International Mercantile Marine Co., which commissioned the construction of the tragically fated RMS Titanic in 1911. The stately house was designed by renowned Victorian architect Frank Furness, and boasts seven bedrooms, seven full bathrooms, and two half bathrooms. 

Upon entering the home, you are immediately immersed in a spectacular entryway, which features original blue and white Delft tile murals and Jacobean chimney surround—gifts from the Queen of the Netherlands—as well as carved oak doors, ornately coffered ceilings, and large ornamental fireplaces. Clearly engineered for entertaining, the space then flows seamlessly into expansive living and dining rooms, both overlooking the manicured backyard. 

The first floor also offers a gourmet kitchen, butler’s pantry, mud room, family room, office, and wood-panelled library. A true highlight is the four-season sunroom, which features original wood floors, exposed stone walls, and a fireplace to keep the space cosy in the winter, while the three walls of windows flood it with light in summer. 

Griscom owned the Dolobran Estate right up to his death, so it clearly held a fond place in his heart. The home’s second and third storeys house the bedrooms, including a master suite with his-and-hers bathrooms and a large walk-in closet. 

 In addition to the primary accommodation, the property also includes an in-law suite with its own kitchenette that's perfect for guests. However, the property’s real showpiece is its amenity-packed lower level, accessed by a dramatic rope staircase. Once the ballroom, this storey now houses a home theatre, gym, expansive bar, and spectacular floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the pool and spa area. 

The jewel of the exquisite grounds is without a doubt the sun deck with its stunning swimming pool, where you can soak up the grandeur of the home's historic architecture. Currently listed for £2.9 million ($3.3m), this fascinating property is a phenomenal opportunity to own a piece of history. What's more, it even comes with a model of the Titanic that once belonged to Griscom and has resided in the property since its construction in the 19th century. 

Nestled in its own 16 acres of gardens, woodlands, paddocks and a private lake, the 15th-century, Grade II-listed Old Manor House is one of the oldest of its kind in Kent in the UK. The site's original home was recorded in the Domesday Book as the Manor of Benenden, one of the possessions that William the Conqueror gave to his brother, Odo of Bayeux. The home was later owned by Viscount Rothermere, who founded the Daily Mail in the early 20th century.

For anyone keen to add their name to this illustrious lineage, the property is currently on the market for £4 million ($4.6m). Refronted in the 19th century, and fully restored with the addition of a new wing in the 20th century, the partially moated manor offers seven bedrooms, six bathrooms, and numerous versatile living spaces across over 9,000 square feet. An additional 6,000 square feet of space is available across a number of outbuildings, including renovated stables, a triple garage, a wood workshop, and an open barn.

From gothic hardwood arches and exposed beams, to quarry tiles and leaded mullioned windows, the home is bursting with Tudor character. The first floor features a formal sitting room, library, cosy family room, dining room, kitchen, pantry, and a panelled study that boasts a fireplace believed to date back to the time of William the Conqueror. Large bay windows throughout the first floor provide stunning views of the courtyard and formal rose garden beyond, and flood the living spaces with natural light.

Four independent staircases connect the first floor to the second, which houses the bedrooms, as well as some unexpected bonus features. Tucked away in an attic loft is a six-seat cinema, while a light-filled pilates studio hides in a separate two-bedroom cottage adjoined to the tip of the west wing. Meanwhile, outdoor facilities include a kitchen garden with an orchard, a heated swimming pool with a pool house, and a tennis court with a pavilion. The house is also just a short stroll away from the charming village of Benenden.

Fans may recognise this pastel pink home from its TV appearance in the 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice 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 £6 million ($6.8m). 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 in the UK 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 ($9.1m).

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 roof 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 ten 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 around £11 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 lush acres designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the world-famous landscape architect of greenspaces such as Central Park and Boston’s Public Garden, among many others. 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 painstaking 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 £12.3 million ($14m).

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 exclusively 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.

Another home with walls we wish could talk is this remarkable neo-classical villa in Italy. Located on a scenic plot just 25 minutes away from Florence, the breathtaking home dates back to 1895 and was designed in typical late-Renaissance Tuscan style. Standing proud at 48,437 square feet, it boasts a rich local history that makes it one of the most significant homes in all of Italy.

It is said that the most famous artists and decorators in Tuscany at the time helped with the creation of this majestic mansion. From Pietro Baldoncoli and Mariano Coppedè to Francesco Morini and Giuseppe Michelucci, no expense was spared in the construction of this luxurious villa. Evidence of the home's masterful craftsmanship can be seen everywhere, including the dramatic vaulted ceiling in the foyer and the stunning frescoes that decorate many of the rooms.

Totalling 35 bedrooms and 16 bathrooms, this mammoth residence was designed for entertaining. Every space is elegantly furnished and filled with natural light, thanks to oversized windows and soaring ceilings. There's a spectacular formal lounge, a dining room and a timber-panelled billiard room with gables carved by the same artists who completed the home's custom-made furniture. One of the living rooms is also home to exquisite gilded wallpaper.

Thanks to the home's elevated position, every room also offers splendid views across the home's 98 acres, where terraces and landscaped gardens can be found. There's also a large meadow, a cave, fountains, olive groves, woodlands, tennis courts, and swimming pools. If you've fallen in love, then you'll need a staggering £14.9 million ($17m) in order to buy it! 

Loved this? Follow us on Facebook for more incredible homes for sale