Architectural Oddities in England

Discover 120 architectural oddities in England.

The Chester Imp.

Chester, England

Chester Imp

A mysterious demonic figure peers down from its perch within the gorgeous Chester Cathedral.

The small window looks more like a crack in the wall.

England's Smallest Window

What looks like missing grout is actually an old pub's peephole.

Three stories of eccentricity

Nottingham, England

Watson Fothergill's Office

When it came to designing his own small office building, the eccentric architect wasn't afraid to show the world what he could do.

The Paternoster in Sheffield's Arts Tower.

Sheffield, England

Paternoster Lift

One of the last doorless, continuously moving elevators still in use in the U.K.

Camber Castle.

Camber Castle

Henry VIII's forgotten castle was built by the gunpowder-obsessed king to be defended solely by cannons.

An archway like no other.

East Molesey, England

Anne Boleyn's Gateway

Carved initials which are nearly 500 years old preserve the deposed Queen's presence at Hampton Court Palace.

The kiln.

London, England

'Potteries and Piggeries' Bottle Kiln

A relic from one of London's worst 19th-century slums.

Clock Cottage.

Derbyshire, England

Clock Cottage

A gardener saved a beloved clock face from destruction by building it into a wall outside his house.

The bridge chapel at Rotherham.

Rotherham, England

The Chapel of Our Lady

This oddly placed 15th-century church is one of only six bridge chapels left in England.

Elephants stand on the Sezincote grounds.

Gloucestershire, England

Sezincote Estate

A majestic mansion designed in Mughalai style, complete with a turquoise onion dome.

Dual-time clock at the Bristol Exchange

Bristol, England

Corn Exchange Dual-Time Clock

The unusual clock on this 18th-century market building has an extra minute hand for "Bristol time."

The coat hook is said to be one of the questions for the London cab driver test known as "The Knowledge."

London, England

Metropolitan Police Coat Hook

Installed at a chaotic intersection, this gave London traffic cops a place to hang their heavy woolen coats.

The house was built in 1700.

London, England

Admiral's House

An eccentric 18th century naval officer built a ship's quarterdeck on his roof, the inspiration for Mary Poppins's "Admiral Boom."

Needle's Eye, with a person for scale.

Brampton Bierlow, England

Needle's Eye

A folly built to satisfy a gentleman's bet that he could drive his horses through the eye of a needle.

St. Mary and All Saints Church's spire.

Chesterfield, England

Chesterfield's Crooked Spire

The whimsical twist of this spire was either caused by the Devil, an unexpected virgin, or lead.

The Doughnut

Cheltenham, England

The Doughnut

Britain's answer to the NSA is based out of this deliciously-named circular headquarters.