Unbelievable surprises found inside seventeenth-century farm

On the outside, it's a traditional stone-built farmhouse, nestled amongst the hills of the Peak National Park.

On the inside, though, it's one man's extraordinary folly, packed with weird and wonderful features.

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Shaw Bottom Farm, near Leek, in Staffordshire, was bought by architect Rod Hackney in 1977, and has been dramatically redeveloped from its seventeenth-century origins.

Its most striking feature is probably the basement swimming pool, installed in 1985. Its dramatic decor includes 12 hardwood carvings of Indian gods and two made-to-measure granite carvings of the Hindu goddess of knowledge, Saraswati.

There are two arched Tiffany-style windows and ceiling roses salvaged from Clitheroe Chapel in Lancashire - as well as a twenty-foot flume that starts in the attic and snakes through the drawing and reception rooms before leading into the pool.

And the rest of the five-bedroom house is barely more conventional. There's a music room, for example, with original Minton tile flooring, oak pews and panelling - and a large Victorian pipe organ.

Along with several reception rooms, there's a cinema room with a partly mirrored ceiling, a sauna and a playroom housing a model railway track.

There are stained glass windows everywhere, ecclesiastical carvings and a circular mosaic bath.

Outside, the house has 23 acres, including an oriental garden, a stream and a number of ponds. There's also a good-sized barn with planning permission for conversion into more accommodation.

Agents Whittaker & Biggs suggest that the property could make a good business opportunity, with holiday accommodation and equestrian facilities.

"This opportunity to create a potential business and incorporate equestrian pursuits in the heart of the Peak National Park needs further exploration and a viewing is strongly urged," they say.

"There is the option for prospective purchasers to utilise the existing accommodation, the self-contained guest suite with separate access, and create holiday or ancillary accommodation to suit personal requirements."

Shaw Bottom Farm costs £899,950.