A National Trust Miscellany. The National Trust's Greatest Secrets & Surprises: Ian Allen

Staggering statistics, strange facts and all kinds of surprising stuff from the National Trust. Haunted houses, baffling objects, bizarre buildings and distinctly curious characters.

- Who needs an upside-down lighthouse? - How can you tell a gargoyle from a hunky punk? - What are the top 10 historical toilets? - Where's the best place to see a UFO? - Why would you hang toast on a tree?

Welcome to this smorgasbord of strangely compelling facts and figures about the National Trust.

Find out what lurks under the floorboards of its grandest homes and hides behind the shrubs in its gardens. Meet some of the curious characters who lived at its properties, and discover the unusual jobs carried out by its staff. Pit your wits against National Trust curators to identify the oddest things in their care.

For secrets, surprises and strange things of all kinds, read on.