Exactly 130 years ago to the very day, three Victorians formed a new organisation to protect England's historic buildings and natural beauty spots.
Concerned by the rapid rate of industrialization, social reformer Octavia Hill, solicitor Sir Robert Hunter and clergyman Hardwicke Rawnsley incorporated their venture on January 12, 1895 – and the National Trust was born.
Within a few weeks, the National Trust was given its first property – five acres of clifftop at Dinas Oleu in Wales.
Fast-forward to 2025 and it is one of the largest landowners in the UK, with more than 500 historic properties, gardens and nature reserves.
Perhaps the typical perception of a National Trust property is one once inhabited by an eccentric royal or prominent statesman with a taste for rare artwork and lavish drapes – but not every one is like this.
As the institution celebrates this impressive milestone, MailOnline takes a look at the weird and wonderful National Trust properties you never knew existed, from a 16-sided feminist cottage to the home of the original Goldfinger.
'130 years ago to this day, the National Trust was set up by three people who believed passionately that our national heritage and landscapes deserved protecting for future generations,' National Trust director-general Hilary McGrady, told MailOnline.
'Just as it is people who have made the National Trust what it is over the last 130 years, it is people who will shape our next chapter.'
MailOnline reveals the weird and wonderful National Trust sites you never knew existed, from a topsy-turvy Tudor house to the home of the original Goldfinger
Sir Robert Hunter with his daughter (both centre) are pictured with fellow National Trust founder Hardwicke Rawnsley (right) and a friend (left) in the Lake District around 1900. Not pictured is the third founder, social reformer Octavia
2 WILLOW ROAD
2 Willow Road – a quirky Modernist house in Hampstead, London – was home to the man who inspired possibly the most famous James Bond villain of all.
Built in the late 1930s, it was designed and lived in by Hungarian-born architect Ernő Goldfinger, a key figure of the UK's Modernist movement.
Mr Goldfinger – now known for brutalist designs such as London's Trellick Tower – had a number of cottages demolished to make way for 2 Willow Road.
This irked several local residents, including novelist Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond, who named the villain of his 1959 novel after him.
Erno Goldfinger, threatened to sue Ian Fleming, but decided against it after the Bond creator said he'd rename the character Goldpr***.
When the novel hit the big screen in 1964, the casting choice for Goldfinger – German actor Gert Fröbe – even bore a similarity to the Hungarian.
Today, 2 Willow Road contains Goldfinger's impressive collection of modern art, intriguing personal possessions and innovative furniture, says the National Trust.
Open to visitors from March to October, 2 Willow Road contains contains Goldfinger's impressive collection of modern art, intriguing personal possessions and innovative furniture
Architect Erno Goldfinger, left, earned the wrath of Ian Fleming over the demolition of cottages, prompting the Bond writer to name villain Auric, (pictured, right, Gert Fröbe portrays the villain) after the designer
LITTLE MORETON HALL
Little Moreton Hall, just south of Congleton in Cheshire, is not your usual Tudor building, although it does feature the familiar black and white colour scheme.
Built starting in 1504, it was the home of prosperous Cheshire landowner William Moreton and remained in possession of the Moreton family for almost 450 years.
The iconic 'topsy-turvy' Tudor manor house is notable for its wonky angles, top-heavy appearance and chequerboard patterns of black timber and white mortar.
One National Trust guidebook described Little Moreton Hall as 'lifted straight from a fairy story, a gingerbread house'.
'This timber-framed building, curled around with a scenic moat, has defied logic for over 500 years,' the National Trust says.
At Little Moreton Hall there's hundreds of little marks near windows, fireplaces, and doorways, which were intentional carved by inhabitants.
Often taking the form of circles and criss-crosses, they were made during Tudor times as a form of protection against witchcraft.
The iconic Tudor manor house is notable for its wonky angles, top-heavy appearance and chequerboard patterns of black timber and white mortar
BRIMHAM ROCKS
Brimham Rocks, a bizarre assortment of rock formations in North Yorkshire, is by far the oldest attraction on this list.
Dated around 320 million years old, the rocks were created by natural geologic processes about 100 million years before the first dinosaurs walked the earth.
Largely made from millstone grit, they have taken on weird and wonderful shapes, many of which resemble animals or objects.
One of the greatest sights at Brimham Rocks is the Idol Stone, which seems to defy gravity with an estimated 200-tonne rock balanced on a smaller plinth.
Although it looks like several rocks stacked on top of each other, the Idol Stone is in fact a single structure.
'Heavy grains of sand and ice would have been sand-blasted during high winds, causing more erosion closer to the ground,' the National Trust says.
There's also the Druid’s Writing Desk, which looks like something a giant would pen a letter on, as well as the the Eagle, the Dancing Bear and the Smartie Tube.
Dated around 320 million years old, Brimham Rocks were created by natural geologic processes about 100 million years before the first dinosaurs walked the earth
One of the greatest sights at Brimham Rocks is the Idol Stone, which seems to defy gravity with an estimated 200-tonne rock balanced on a smaller plinth
Visitors are permitted to climb the rocks, although the National Trust warns that to 'climb within your capabilities' and be aware of 'sudden drops'.
THE ROCK HOUSES
Like something from The Lord of the Rings or some other fantasy novel, The Rock Houses are set into the soft red sandstone of Kinver Edge, Staffordshire.
The earliest record of people living in them is from 1777, when Joseph Heely took refuge from a storm and was given shelter by a ‘clean and decent family’.
The Rock Houses became a draw for tourists more than a century ago and were inhabited until the 1960s, when people left for more modern abodes.
Facing disrepair – and having been the site of parties and vandalism in the 1890s – they were saved and restored by the National Trust.
'There are stoves, furniture, windows and doors – all set into the sandstone, just as they were when the houses were lived in,' it says.
'Just outside is the heathland of Kinver Edge - a pocket of wilderness, buzzing with insects and heady with the scent of gorse and purple heather.'
The Rock Houses, set into the soft red sandstone of Kinver Edge in Staffordshire, was home to families until the 1960s
A LA RONDE
Considered an icon of femininity is A la Ronde – a continental-style 16-sided cottage in Devon, dating from the late eighteenth century.
Located just north of Exmouth, it was built in 1796 for two wealthy spinster cousins, Jane and Mary Parminter, on their return from a tour of Europe.
They decided to create a 'ferme ornée', or 'ornamental farm', on the site and to live out the remainder of their lives – without any men.
The curious design was inspired by their visit to the octagonal basilica of San Vitale at Ravenna, Italy, but ironically it was probably the work of the Bath architect John Lowder, the National Trust says.
And although it looks from the outside a bit like Hagrid's hut from the Harry Potter films, the inside is much more refined.
The duo were responsible for the eccentric collection of interior decorations, including a feather frieze in the drawing room and a shell-encrusted gallery and staircase.
Jane died in 1811, followed by Mary in 1849, whose will specified that only unmarried kinswomen were able to inherit the house – although this condition was broken in 1886. Just over 100 years later it was acquired by the National Trust.
A la Ronde - a 16-sided cottage in Devon - was built in 1796 for two spinster cousins, Jane and Mary Parminter, on their return from a tour of Europe
Inside A la Ronde: The Octagon was the heart of Jane and Mary's home, from which the other ground floor rooms are accessed
Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) was described by Queen Victoria as: 'A strange-looking eccentric old Scotchman, who holds forth, in a drawling melancholy voice, with a broad Scotch accent, upon Scotland and upon the utter degeneration of everything'
CARLYLE'S HOUSE
Not far from Chelsea FC's home ground, about halfway down Cheyne Row, is a fairly inconspicuous house that once belonged to Thomas Carlyle and his wife, Jane.
The Scottish historian and philosopher was hugely influential during the Victorian era – although he was once described by Queen Victoria as 'strange-looking' and 'eccentric'.
Thomas and Jane's Chelsea home was central to Victorian intellectual life and hosted contemporary greats such as Charles Dickens, poet Alfred Lord Tennyson and polymath John Ruskin.
Carlyle is perhaps most famous for his 1837 book 'The French Revolution: A History', written in an unusual sing-song style, equally mocked and revered at the time.
It was an inspiration for the likes of Dickens and Oscar Wilde, who said Carlyle 'made history a song for the first time in our language'.
Carlyle also had an dysfunctional friendship with fellow philosopher John Stuart Mill, who had a manuscript of The French Revolution burnt – allegedly a mishap by Mill's maid.
The unfortunate episode is thought to have provided the inspiration for the Blackadder episode 'Ink And Incapability', where Baldrick (Tony Robinson) puts the finished dictionary of Dr Samuel Johnson (Robbie Coltrane) on the fire.
Thomas Carlyle, a famous author, lived with his wife Jane in a typical Victorian terraced house in Chelsea, London (pictured) - now owned by the National Trust
Built in 1824, The Workhouse, in the town of Southwell, Nottinghamshire, is one of the best preserved workhouses in England
THE WORKHOUSE
Built in 1824, The Workhouse, in the town of Southwell, Nottinghamshire, is one of the best preserved workhouses in England.
It was considered a forerunner to England’s workhouses that opened once the New Poor Law of 1834 was enacted, which ensured that the poor were housed in workhouses, clothed and fed.
In the building, women would do the domestic jobs, cooking, cleaning, laundry, and also taking care of the old and infirm inmates, the National Trust says.
Men would look after the gardens, and more manual work like stone breaking and Oakum picking.
Children would help with some tasks, but they would also be schooled which is something which would not have been an option for them outside of The Workhouse.
The building remained in use until the early 1990s and was opened to the public by the National Trust in 2002, having bought it in 1997 with National Lottery Heritage Fund help.
It's been fully restored with personal objects and the stories of those who lived and worked here help to bring the building to life.
The National Trust stresses that many of the organization's properties and sites remain closed for the winter and to check its website for more details.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14267043/130-years-weird-wonderful-properties-National-Trust.html
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