Such variety means that we don’t always know what to expect when we view a property – with a select few offering up the occasional surprise.

Take, for example, the imposing Grade I listed Jacobean merchant's house in the heart of Royston in Hertfordshire currently on the market thorough our Cambridge office. Steeped in history and awash with intricate design, the house features beautifully restored ceiling murals alongside elaborate mantlepieces that were completed in 1635.

At the other end of the architectural spectrum is a modernist masterpiece in St John’s Road in Loughton built by renowned architect Geoffrey Bateman. With a careful eye to originality and authenticity and characterised by an emphasis on volume and asymmetrical shapes, the current owners have undertaken a comprehensive programme of renovation, creating a spectacular home with features including black brickwork, golden joinery, terrazzo flooring and teak panelling.

Elsewhere, we have a handsome village house in Oxfordshire with its very own railway track; a Scottish riverside home with a ‘secret’ passage that leads down to the water; a stunning conversion of a former church in north-east London; and a Cornish cliff top apartment with its own tidal pool.

If you’re in the market for a property with an interesting talking point, then the gallery below might just provide the inspiration that you’re looking for.