Properties of the week Reject tradition, embrace the eccentric

Our nation is built on whimsy and these five properties are all a bit out of the ordinary

James Fisher

Kent, £675,000

Fans of Derek Jarman can now live like the famous artist by purchasing this extended former railway carriage on Dungeness beach. Originally built as a holiday home, the property has been extended to allow for two bedrooms, three reception rooms and a garage, making it suitable for full-time living. Set on the Dungeness estate, the property benefits from being within the SSSI and is surrounded by the various pubs, restaurants and shops that the neighbourhood has to offer. Phillips & Stubbs (01797 227338)

Roxburghshire, £500,000

Cuts to railway services in the 1950s and 1960s remain a topic for much debate, but we can at least be thankful for the closure of Saughtree Station near Newcastleton in the Scottish Borders. The former railway station was converted into a family home in the 1990s and is now a sixbedroom house with a fraction over an acre of gardens. There’s a lot to look at in said gardens: the usual lawns, shrubs and trees, but, of course, these days, no home is complete without its own diesel locomotive and stretch of track (top; available via separate negotiation). Train or no train, the property is one for rail enthusiasts, with charming touches of memorabilia throughout the home, to say nothing of its gorgeous setting in the Liddlesdale Valley. Savills (0131–247 3738)