A Victorian-era station house in Nottinghamshire has attracted widespread online attention after being dubbed the "scariest house on Rightmove", with the property ultimately selling well above its guide price at auction on 17 September 2026.
The property in Bleasby dates back to the 1840s, when the railway station opened, and would have been home to the station masters responsible for operating the station barriers. Despite its significant local heritage, the eerie appearance captured in the listing images generated considerable social media buzz before the sale.
According to property reports, the three-bedroom detached house sold for £200,000, substantially exceeding the £75,000 guide price listed on the property portal.
What made the house capture public imagination?
Jonathan Way, area manager at Auction House Notts & Derby, identified a "creepy doll" positioned in a bedroom corner as the primary driver of public fascination. The house had remained empty for an extended period, and multiple break-ins led to downstairs windows being boarded up, intensifying its unsettling appearance in photographs.
Way described his initial site visit:
"It was a little bit unsettling. It was all boarded up downstairs, there wasn't any natural light downstairs. The lights weren't working either so we had to use phone lights to move around. Upstairs wasn't too bad but the doll and the pram were a little bit creepy. I definitely wasn't expecting that when I walked up the stairs."
The property listing had been left untouched before photography, preserving the house's deteriorated condition in its original state.
How did social media amplify the story?
The Housing Horrors TikTok account, which regularly shares videos of unusual property listings across the country, posted content labelling the station house the "scariest house on Rightmove". The viral video generated significant engagement, with commenters expressing both humorous interest and skepticism about the sale price.
One commenter wrote: "If I was rich, I'd just buy it for fun," while another responded: "Not a chance that will go for so little in Bleasby." Despite—or perhaps because of—the unflattering online attention, Way noted the property remained highly popular with potential buyers.
What is the property's historical significance?
The station house represents a rare example of Victorian railway infrastructure, retaining original brickwork and interior design elements largely untouched for decades. Way observed:
"You get the odd quirky [property] but I've not really done one like that before. It's a really old station house. It's still got the original brickwork and the design inside obviously hasn't been touched for a number of years."
According to the auction listing, the property was marketed as a rare renovation opportunity on a large plot in Bleasby, with an auction administration fee of £3,600 including VAT.
What was the condition of the interior?
The interior had deteriorated significantly during its period of vacancy. Walls bore stripped wallpaper, floors and surfaces accumulated dirt and damage, and the overall atmosphere reflected years of abandonment and neglect.
The boarded windows downstairs eliminated natural light, requiring visitors to use mobile phone torches to navigate the ground floor. The presence of abandoned items, including the doll and pram that captured online attention, added to the property's unsettling character.
How did the auction process unfold?
Open house viewings were scheduled for 17 September and 25 September 2026. The online auction ran from 28 September 2026 at 1pm until 29 September 2026 at 11am, during which the property attracted sufficient bidding interest to achieve a final sale price of £200,000—more than double its guide price.
The successful sale demonstrated that despite its deteriorated condition and viral notoriety for appearing frightening, the property's historical value and potential as a renovation project held genuine appeal for buyers. The outcome suggests that online attention, even when framed negatively, can drive genuine market interest in unusual properties with heritage significance.
