It’s hard to imagine the time before Rightmove, so profound has its effect been on the search for a new home. Launched in 2000, the property portal has given us access to fantasy houses, wacky interiors and downright crazy homes for the last 25 years.
“Billions of minutes are spent on Rightmove each year, and these homes show just how wonderfully diverse the housing market can be,” says Colleen Babcock, Rightmove’s property expert.
“From the wildly imaginative to the beautifully bizarre, these listings have captured hearts, headlines, and hashtags. They remind us that a home isn’t just bricks and mortar, it’s a reflection of personality, creativity, and sometimes, pure eccentricity.
“Whether it’s a stiletto-shaped bathtub or a shark diving through a roof, these properties prove that the UK housing market is full of surprises, and we love celebrating the moments that make people stop, smile, and share.”
From an all-purple house to a glitzy private island, here are some of Rightmove’s most talked about listings over the past 25 years.
The Shark House, Headington
The Shark House
Rightmove
You don’t have to be a Rightmove addict to have seen pictures of The Shark House, a Victorian terrace with a 25-foot fibreglass and steel shark sculpture crashing headfirst into its roof.
The controversial sculpture was conceived in 1986 by Bill Heine, the current owner’s father, and the sculptor John Buckley. After much debate, Heine managed to convince Oxford city council that the shark should remain.
“The shark was to express someone feeling totally impotent and ripping a hole in their roof out of a sense of impotence and anger and desperation…. It is saying something about CND, nuclear power, Chernobyl and Nagasaki,” said Heine at the time.
Now, the four-bedroom house has become a local landmark, receiving listed status in 2022, to the owner’s dismay. It was listed for rent earlier this year, and remains available to let via Chancellors for £4,000 per month.
Thorne Island, Pembrokeshire
Thorne Island
Rightmove
Constructed in the mid-19th century to protect against Napoleonic invasion, this private island —complete with its Grade II-listed coastal fort— has been a hotel and family home since the 1930s.
The 2.5-acre Thorne Island is only accessible by boat, and was listed for £550,000 in 2016, needing, as Knight Frank put it at the time, “a fair bit of investment”.
Its current owners have completed an extensive restoration of the historic fort, turning it into a unique, 8,000 square foot home. There’s a rooftop bar and games room, courtyard, five private sea moorings, space for 20 guests, 360-degree views – and the property is completely off-grid.
Now, the island is back on the market. It was listed for £3 million in August with Strutt & Parker.
The stiletto bath house, Conwy, Wales
The stiletto bath house
Rightmove
In January, the internet went mad for an iconic bathtub in Wales. Yes, the purple one shaped like a giant stiletto, standing in the middle of the neutral-toned bathroom.
That it found itself in a Grade II-listed, 16th century property with otherwise more traditional interiors —exposed timbers, wood panelling and heavy wooden antique furniture— made it even better.
The property, described as a “highly individual home with a definite splash of glamour” is still for sale with Dafydd Hardy for £875,000.
The space home, Rawdon, West Yorkshire
The space home
Rightmove
Last year, a house in Rawdon hit the market for £1.7 million: it had five bedrooms, 1.8 acres of land, a gym, landscaped gardens – oh, and a Star Wars-inspired cinema and games room which took the owners two years to complete.
The room, with a pool table, drinks area, projector screen and reclining cinema seats, was produced as a full replica of Star Wars’ Millennium Falcon flight deck. The white walls are bulkhead-like, with reproduction spaceship doors and studded panels that mimic the night sky.
Seven-foot-wide home, Kensington
The seven-foot-wide home
Rightmove
Built in the space between two houses, this slender property measures just seven feet (2.1 metres) across. Two bedrooms —which can just about fit double beds— two bathrooms and a roof terrace have been miraculously packed into this compact home, which covers 538 square feet of space over three storeys.
“You have to remind yourself that you’re in a house that’s narrower than a London Tube,” says Simon Stone, the agency’s managing partner.
The Tardis house, Exeter, Devon
The Tardis house
Rightmove
In 2013, a former barn in Dunsford, outside Exeter, drew interest. Not for its views over the river Teign or its tasteful, cottage-style conversion, but for its replica of Dr Who’s famous blue Tardis which stood in the hallway next to the stairs.
It was listed for £425,000 with Stags estate agency, which, funnier still, chose not to reference the Tardis in their property description.
The purple house, Hillingdon, Middlesex
The purple house
Rightmove
This pebbledashed, semi-detached house in Hillingdon came with a surprise when it was advertised for £400,000 in 2013: its interiors, without exception, were purple. We’re talking plush purple carpets and lilac walls; lavender bedspreads and violet cabinetry.
The house was described as a “cleverly planned and extended four-bedroom semi-detached home” by the listing agents, who once again decided not to mention its colourful décor.
The Doll’s House, Porthleven, Cornwall
The Doll’s House
Rightmove
At its narrowest point, the one-bedroom, 339-square-foot property measures just three feet (91cm) wide. But over its two awkwardly-shaped storeys, the owners had managed to fit a kitchen, dining table, bathroom, tiny living room and bedroom, with a double bed pressed against the wall.
The house was put up for sale in 2017 and eventually purchased for £190,000 in 2021 by its previous owners, who used it as a holiday let. It sold again in July for £225,000.
Osea Island
Rightmove
Essex’s Osea Island is the stuff of fantasy: a whole private island, complete with 38 houses, recording studio, golf course, light aircraft and helicopter landing areas and its own pub.
Unsurprisingly, it is a popular celebrity haunt, with the likes of Rihanna, Stormzy and Charlie XCX recording in the studio, and Olly Murs choosing Osea Island for his wedding in 2023.
The carnival house, St. Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex
The carnival house
Rightmove
Once a Victorian Turkish bathhouse, this Grade II-listed property was transformed by its owners into an eccentric, carnival-themed home. Think vintage carnival signs, a tenpin bowling alley, fairground games and plenty of wacky décor.
The property was listed for £1.5 million in 2019 and has appeared on the market several times since. It does not appear to have sold, according to the Land Registry, and is currently run as an events space and Airbnb let. It sleeps 14, including use of the triple-stack bunkbeds.
Leave Your Comment