From Elizabethan priest holes and basement bank vaults to secret cinemas and safe rooms in the cellar, eight of the best properties for sale with hidey-holes.
From Elizabethan priest holes and basement bank vaults to secret cinemas and safe rooms in the cellar, eight of the bestproperties for sale with hidey-holes.
Lottisham Manor, Lottisham, Somerset. Originally built as an "open hall" house in the 15th century, this Grade II*-listed manor was substantially altered in the late 16th and 17th centuries. It features a large inglenook fireplace in the dining room with a concealed closet that was believed to have originated as a priest hole. 6 beds, 2 baths, 2 receps, library, breakfast scullery, larder, utility, outbuildings, gardens, tennis court. £1.75m Strutt & Parker 020-7629 7282.
Hoxton Square, Shoreditch, London N1. A converted print house dating from around 1850 with an underground cinema accessed through a secret door. 2 beds, 2 baths, dressing room, 2 receps, study, studio, dining kitchen, steam room, 2 roof terraces. £5m Fyfe McDade 020-7613 4044.
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Hill House, The Green, Olveston, Bristol. A Grade II*-listed property set in 1.5 acres, built in 1570 during the Protestant Reformation and constructed to include three priest holes. Other period features include oak mullion windows, beamed ceilings and wood-panelled walls. 6 beds, 2 baths, 3 receps, study, library, breakfast room, orchard, vineyard, ornamental lake. £1.495m Savills 0117-933 5800.
Dume Drive, Malibu, California. A property with expansive ocean and mountain views along Malibu's coastline.There is 11,500 sq ft of living space, with high ceilings and large windows. There is a hidden safe room in the cellar and a room hidden behind the bookshelves in the office. 6 beds, 10 baths, guest suite/staff quarters with kitchenette, 4 receps, library, dance studio, gym, games room, heated pool. $7.3m Pacific Union International +1 310 818 5788.
Cwm House, Clunton, Craven Arms, Shropshire. A Grade II-listed farmhouse dating from 1540. It has a wealth of period features, including a walk-in wardrobe in the master bedroom that is believed to have originally been a priest hole. The property is set in around an acre of landscaped gardens and is surrounded by rolling hills. 4 beds, 3 baths, 2 receps, breakfast kitchen, garden room/utility, 2 ponds. £585,000 Samuel Wood & Co 01588-672728.
Baldridge House, Fort Worth, Texas. This grand early 1900s house is located in one of the area's most prestigious neighbourhoods and comes with a concrete bank vault in the basement, now housing a media room. 6 beds, 6 baths, 3 large receps, billiard room, dining kitchen, office, laundry, parking for 11 vehicles. $7.95m Christie's International Real Estate +1 561 805 7327.
Archway Studios, London SE17. An award-winning transformation of the space beneath a 19th-century railway viaduct. A slender atrium and scooped interior spaces have helped create a light-flooded home and photography studio that couldn't be guessed at from its exterior appearance. 2 beds, 2 baths, open-plan living area, study, laundry, store, mezzanine area. £1.085m The Modern House 020-3795 5920.
Peamore House, Exeter, Devon. A substantial part of a Grade II-listed house built by the first Duke of Suffolk, the father of Lady Jane Grey. The house has a "secret door", disguised as bookshelves, that leads from the hall to the dining room. 4 beds, 2 baths, 2 receps, library, conservatory, parking, garden. £500,000+ Strutt & Parker 01392-215631.
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