Untold mysteries: 12 of the world’s strangest homes

Whimsical homes filled with curious secrets

We've gathered the world's most baffling houses that might perplex even the likes of Sherlock Holmes and Miss Marple. From labyrinthine abodes that make absolutely no sense to stately homes shrouded in secrets and spine-chilling stories of supernatural activity, these intriguing dwellings will delight anyone who loves to sink their teeth into a good mystery.

Read on to explore...

Gillette Castle, Connecticut, USA

Perched in East Haddam high above the Connecticut River, this eccentric mansion is known as Gillette Castle, so named after its designer, William Gillette, the American playwright and actor who played the first ever Sherlock Holmes in the late 19th century.

Gillette, who wrote the first authorised play adaptations of the Sherlock Holmes novels and in 1899 and went on to portray the fictional detective more than 1,300 times over the course of 33 years.

A labour of love

Gillette made quite the fortune off his years in the role, much of which he funelled into building his castle between 1914 and 1919. The actor hired local firm Porteus-Walker Company to construct his vision of a medieval-style castle, complete with uneven rooflines, jutting towers and raw fieldstone façade. The castle, which was built from steel and local Connecticut fieldstone, was originally dubbed the Seventh Sister Estate.

Eccentric details

Gillette built the castle to serve as his home in later life when he finally retired from the stage, though he continued to develop it throughout his lifetime, modifying and extending the house between 1923 and 1926.

In its final form the castle made a fitting home for the fictional detective, bursting with eccentric details, trick mirrors and doors that lead to hidden passageways and covert rooms.

The Witch House, Salem, USA

Located in iconic Salem, Massachusetts, ‘The Witch House’ was once the home of Jonathan Corwin, one of the judges involved in the Salem witch trials of 1692. The property dates to 1675, and as one of the most important historical buildings in America, it's also the only structure in the city with direct ties to the now infamous witch hunt era.

Between February 1692 and May 1693, more than 200 people were accused of witchcraft. 30 of those were found guilty, with 19 executed for their supposed crimes.

A haunting museum

The house, which has inadvertently become synonymous with the huge and shocking miscarriage of justice, today serves as a museum, open seven days a week for self-guided tours.

As soon as visitors step inside, they're instantly transported back to the 17th century, thanks to the well-preserved state of the building. Although eerie, this important historical home is undoubtedly special.

A step back in time

The architecture, furnishings and other personal items throughout the home all date to Corwin's era, enabling those brave enough to head inside the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of what life was like when the witch trials took place.

The rooms are hauntingly lived-in, with this bedroom still boasting its linen, the kitchen table still laid with crockery and cups, and the interior details seeming as if they haven't been touched in centuries.

Villa of the Mysteries, Pompeii, Italy

The aptly named Villa of the Mysteries, in the ancient city of Pompeii near Naples, Italy, has stumped experts since its excavation in the early 20th century.

An exquisitely preserved suburban villa on the outskirts of the ill-fated city, the property, which is Pompeii's most celebrated abode, derives its name from the Hall of Mysteries situated in the residential part of the building.

Best preserved paintings from ancient world

Many rooms in the villa are adorned with colourful frescos. The most alluring and mysterious decorate the main hall, which is alternatively known as the red room. These frescos are among the best preserved paintings from the ancient world. But exactly what they depict is still not conclusive.

Secrets and religious ecstasy

Some experts believe the red room frescoes depict a bride getting ready for her wedding, while others suggest she is being initiated into a secret cult linked to Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, fertility and religious ecstasy.

The latter makes sense given that the villa is thought to have produced its own wine, owing to the discovery of a wine press here in 1909 when the site was excavated along with the rest of Pompeii.

Winchester Mystery House, California, USA

Packed with puzzling architectural oddities and boasting a backstory that's as curious as they come, the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California is hands-down one of the world's weirdest homes.

Built over a 36-year period for Sarah Winchester, the troubled heiress to the eponymous gun fortune, the home was transformed from a simple two-storey farmhouse into a sprawling 24,000-square-foot (2,230sqm) mansion comprising an incredible 160 rooms.

Staircases to nowhere

Legend has it the construction of the vast house, which was completed in 1922, was guided by the spirit of her late husband, who Mrs Winchester is said to have consulted during seances in the witch's cap turret room.

The eccentric widow was, as the story goes, haunted by ghosts. The mansion's many oddball features, think faux staircases, a door to nowhere and a myriad of secret passages, were purportedly designed to confuse these vengeful phantoms.

Lucky number 13

As well as believing in ghosts, Mrs Winchester was obsessed with the number 13: the house has 13 bathrooms, staircases with 13 steps, chandeliers with 13 arms and so on, adding immeasurably to its eeriness.

The Queen Anne-style mansion, which was so-named by escape artist Harry Houdini, was opened to the public in 1923. The peculiar property has since attracted 12 million visitors and even inspired a Hollywood movie, but many of its mysteries remain unsolved to this day.

Körner’s Folly, North Carolina, USA

Labelled 'the strangest home in the world', Körner’s Folly in Kernerville, North Carolina gives the Winchester Mystery House a run for its money in the weirdness stakes.

The oddball house was built in 1880 by artist and designer Jule Gilmer Körner aka 'the Man of a Thousand Peculiarities'. A riotous mishmash of styles, the exceedingly eclectic house has 22 rooms in total spread across three storeys and seven levels.

Interior design showcase

Each room is unique with ceiling heights ranging from a claustrophobic five-and-a-half feet to an imposing 25 feet (7.6m), and no two doorways or windows are alike. Ditto the property's six chimneys and 15 fireplaces, which all differ considerably in style.

Visitors may wonder why the home embraces so many diverse styles and the answer lies in Körner’s profession: the property was actually conceived as a sort of showcase for his interior decorating firm.

Idiosyncratic property

A home interiors' catalogue brought to life, the house has been open to the public from the get-go and features America's oldest private theatre, which sits on the third floor. Other oddities include a mini version of the house, which functioned as an outdoor toilet.

After falling into disrepair during the Second World War, the idiosyncratic property narrowly dodged demolition before it was saved during the 1990s and nowadays is one of the premier tourist attractions in the area.

Bellosguardo, California, USA

Mysteriously frozen in time for decades, the beguiling Bellosguardo mansion in Santa Barbara, California has lain empty since the 1960s, but unlike other grand forlorn houses around the world, has been pristinely maintained over the years at a cost of up to $40,000 (£31k) per month.

The property is one of several that was owned by the late heiress Huguette Clark, whose long life spanned the Titanic, for which she had an unused ticket, and the Twin Towers disaster.

Home of a reclusive heiress

The daughter of multimillionaire copper baron and Montana Senator William Clark, the pampered heiress was born in Paris in 1906 and grew up in New York's grandest house. In 1923 the Clark family acquired Bellosguardo, seen here in its sumptuous glory, which served as their summer residence.

Not long after, Huguette Clark married a law student, but the union didn't last and the couple divorced in 1930. Clark's mental health began to deteriorate following the break-up and extreme paranoia set in.

Open house

Clark retreated to her New York apartment in the 1950s and lived the last 20 years of her life in a hospital room until her death in 2011. Having inherited Bellosguardo in 1963, she instructed staff to keep everything in tip-top condition and under no circumstances make any changes.

The house was bequeathed to a charitable foundation, and currently offers guided tours for small groups with view to opening to the public properly in the future.

Craig-E-Clair Castle, New York, USA

The so-called 'Castle of Sorrow' hides a particularly sad history with a hint of mystery to boot. Previously a summer lodge built by architect Bradford Lee Gilbert in the early 1880s, the building of the castle was commissioned by wealthy New Yorker Ralph Wurts-Dundas in the late 1910s but he died in 1921 before its scheduled completion.

Masonic retreat

A year later, Wurts-Dundas' widow Josephine was sent to an asylum and the half-finished property passed to the couple's daughter Muriel, who was duped out of her inheritance and eventually moved to England where her mental health went downhill.

The castle remained unfinished. It was eventually bought by the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the Masonic Order and used as a retreat and holiday camp until the 1970s when it was mysteriously abandoned.

Historical estate

The abandoned castle has sat empty ever since. Today, the property, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is out of bounds to the public and guarded by a caretaker. It is said to be haunted by the ghost of Josephine Wurts-Dundas according to local spooky stories.

Monte Cristo Homestead, New South Wales, Australia

Australia's most mysterious house, Monte Cristo in Junee, New South Wales is also the country's most haunted, or so they say. A hotbed of paranormal activity, the property was built in 1885 by local pioneer Christopher William Crawley and belonged to the Crawley family until 1948.

The house was vacant for 15 years before it was purchased by Reg and Olive Ryan, who restored it to its former glory, but not without incident...

Australia's most haunted house

The Ryans have reported everything from ghostly hands touching their shoulders and lights randomly switching on to hearing the sound of phantom footsteps, while visitors have reported similar phenomena. According to the owners a total of 10 spirits are thought to haunt the house.

The paranormal activity comes as no surprise given the homestead's macabre history, which is marked by a number of disturbing events. The eclectic interiors only add to the curious nature this property holds.

Harrowing history

Behind the opulent furnishings and odd antiques littered across the home lies a tragic tale or two, from spirits to arson attacks, adding to the mansion's harrowing history. Whether the property is cursed or simply unlucky is of course open to question.

Norton Conyers, Yorkshire, UK

Charlotte Brontë visited Norton Conyers numerous times in 1839, some eight years before her most famous novel Jane Eyre was published. Brontë had heard stories about a 'mad woman' confined to the building’s eerie attic, more likely epileptic or pregnant with an illegitimate child.

The tragic tale is said to have inspired her infamous character, Bertha Mason, Mr Rochester’s first wife, who has been locked away. The house contained an undiscovered mystery until the early 2000s.

Hidden staircase leading to fabled attic

In 2004, a narrow stairway near Mr Rochester’s bedroom and leading to the attic was discovered within the thickness of the panelled wall, which further linked the historic property to the fictional Thornfield Hall in the novel.

The stairs have been repaired, though there is no public access to the attic. “It’s such a sad room,” said Lady Graham to British newspaper, The Guardian. She and her husband Sir James Graham, whose ancestors bought Norton Conyers in 1624, are current owners of the house.

Host to two kings

Beyond its mysterious connection to a beloved novel, the Grade II-listed property has played host to two Kings, Charles I and James II, who both spent the night here.

Many of its 18th-century furnishings, including paintings seen here, have been well-maintained. After undergoing restoration work the property is open to the public to explore the rooms and gardens that inspired one of history's most classic novels.

Vittoriale degli Italiani, Lake Garda, Italy

A villa, an amphitheatre, a war museum and mausoleum, the Vittoriale degli Italiani on the shores of Lake Garda in northern Italy is a testament to the lavish lifestyle and excesses of the poet Gabriele d’Annunzio.

The unusual complex, which includes extensive landscaped gardens and bizarrely, the prow of an Italian battleship, is an eclectic blend of architectural styles and structures which pay homage to the soldier and proto-Fascist, who played an important role in his country’s cultural and political history.

A warship in the grounds

In the grounds of the estate sits the prow of the warship Puglia. It was gifted to D’Annunzio from the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini in recognition of his activity during the First World War, when he led a group of fellow nationalists to seize and occupy the city of Fiume in 1919.

D'Annunzio was aligned with the Fascist movement and even wrote speeches for Mussolini: the pair were said to have a complicated relationship and rivalry. 'Il Duce' ('the duke' in Italian) first visited the estate in 1921 shortly after it had been seized as compensation for war damages from Henry Thode – a German art historian married to the granddaughter of composer Franz Listz. The dictator also partly funded the restoration of Vittoriale, supposedly as a way to keep the popular D'Annunzio out of Rome.

Unusual habits

The poet eventually went on to condemn Italy's alliance with Nazi Germany but the house itself has many of the hallmarks of a fascist monument including a brutalist mausoleum which houses his tomb, countless sculptures and works of art. In the main house, known as the Prioria, stained-glass windows cast an eerie light on the gloomy rooms, crammed with weird and wonderful artefacts.

The author, who was also known for his affairs and took naps in a coffin-shaped bed, lived here until his death in 1938.

Witch's House, California, USA

Standing out dramatically among the slick mansions of LA's Beverly Hills, this whimsical storybook home, which looks like it was transplanted from the pages of a fairytale by the Brothers Grimm, has prompted many a passing motorist or pedestrian to do a double take, and no doubt wonder exactly how it got there.

Hollywood home

The Witch's House aka the Spadena House is the handiwork of acclaimed Hollywood art director Harry Oliver. The fairytale home was built in 1920 at the Willat film studios in Culver City, and originally served as offices, dressing rooms and a set for silent movies including an early Hansel & Gretel picture.

Threatened with demolition, the charming cottage was acquired by producer Ward Lascelle and moved to Beverly Hills sometime during the mid-1920s.

Witching hour

Lascelle and his wife Liliane divorced not long after and Liliane, who managed to keep the house, married her former servant Lou Spadena, hence the alternative name. The cottage was sold to the Green family in 1965 but by the time it came on the market again in 1998, the property was in a sorry state and was threatened with demolition yet again.

Thankfully, the house was saved from the wrecking ball in its final hour by local estate agent Michael Libow, who oversaw a meticulous renovation of the property.

Quinta da Regaleira, Sintra, Portugal

One of the architectural jewels of Sintra, an affluent locale just outside Lisbon, Quinta da Regaleira is a spectacular 10-acre (4ha) estate and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The mansion sits nestled in the foothills of the evocatively nicknamed Mountain of the Moon, which once served as a country retreat for Portugal's royal family and high society.

The sprawling estate references a whole host of architectural styles, from Renaissance and Ancient Roman to Gothic and Portuguese Manueline, and was the brainchild of eccentric tycoon António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro.

Quinta da Regaleira, Sintra, Portugal

Born in Brazil and raised in Portugal, he inherited the family fortune and earned the moniker 'Monteiro the Millionaire'. Keen to channel his fortunes into his whimsical domestic vision, Monteiro hired flamboyant Italian-born set designer and architect Luigi Manini to design the estate.

With money no object, the pair set about creating a masterpiece in the neo-Manueline style, which combined Renaissance and Gothic aesthetics. The home was constructed between 1904 and 1910, and final product is a masterpiece of limestone sculpture and carving.

Quinta da Regaleira, Sintra, Portugal

However, perhaps the most mysterious feature of the home lies outside the main house. Known as the ‘Portal of the Guardians,’ a long tunnel leads from a central fountain to an Initiation Well, which descends 88 feet (27m) underground.

The well consists of nine levels lined with ionic columns, said to represent the nine founders of the Knights Templar or the nine circles of heaven, purgatory and hell in Dante's Divine Comedy. While the exact purpose of the well can't be known for sure, it's riddled with symbols of the Knights Templar, leading many to believe it was used for initiation ceremonies.