Category: castles for sale

information about the latest castles for sale in Scotland and the UK

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Five castles for sale

The economy in America and the UK is on the up , so we are told , and the property market has signs of improvement . We have found five castles for sale in the UK and America.

Hampton Court, Leominster, Herefordshire, UK, £12m
Near the village of Bodenham, about eight miles north of the cathedral city of Hereford, which has rail services into London Paddington and Euston. The nearest international airport is in Birmingham, 65 miles away. A recently restored, Grade I-listed, 15th-century castle with 26 bedrooms and 25 bathrooms, various state rooms, and a conservatory designed by Joseph Paxton, the architect of the Crystal Palace. The estate, which comprises about 935 acres, also includes a private chapel, a farm and six cottages. The estate was previously owned by Henry Bolingbroke, who became King Henry IV in 1399. He began construction of the castle before giving it to his courtier Roland Lenthall in the early 15th century.
Who Knight Frank, knightfrank.com, tel: +44 20 7629 8171
. . .

Caverswall Castle, Staffordshire, UK, £3m

Where On 20 acres near Stoke-on-Trent. Birmingham airport is 45 miles away.
What A 16-bedroom castle dating from 1275, when its then owner received a “licence to crenellate”, and rebuilt in 1615. The interiors, including drawing rooms, a library and billiard room, retain Jacobean carved wood panelling.
Why During its long history, the castle has been used as a garrison during the English civil war and a sanctuary for Benedictine nuns escaping the French Revolution. Features include a decorative ceiling added by the Wedgwood family, who lived in the house in the 1880s, a recently reinstated moat and a dungeon.
Who Sotheby’s International Realty, sothebysrealty.co.uk, tel: +44 1932 860537
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Woodstock Castle, Woodstock Connecticut, US, $39m

Just outside the town of Woodstock in rural Connecticut. Bradley international airport is about 45 miles away.
A neo-gothic castle completed in 2009 with nine bedrooms, 12 fireplaces and almost 19,000 sq ft of living space. Entertaining areas include a huge entry hall with a frescoed ceiling, heated outdoor decks and an auditorium with a raised stage.
Why No expense, or whimsy, was spared in the design of this castle, which comes complete with a moat and drawbridge, a turreted 126ft tower and stained-glass windows. The inlaid flooring and woodwork is made from 25 different species of imported hardwood.
Who Christie’s International Real Estate, christiesrealestate.com, tel: +1 860 887 1122
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Castello Chianti, Tuscany, Italy, €9.5m

Castello Chianti, Tuscany, Italy
On a hilltop in the district of Greve in Chianti, close to village restaurants and shops. Florence airport is 35 minutes away by car.
A castle dating back to the 1300s, with 12 bedrooms and two hectares of grounds, plus a pool, tennis court and gym.
Original features include frescoes, painted coffered ceilings and terracotta floors, with an option to buy an adjacent vineyard.
Casa & Country, an affiliate of Aylesford International, casaandcountry.com, tel: +44 20 7351 2383

A nice Castello Chianti , as Hannibal Lecter might say ……
. . .

Bordeaux, Aquitaine, France, €4.75m

Where Near the city of Agen and about 90 minutes by car from Toulouse and Bordeaux, both of which have international airports.
What A 16th-century château with nine bedrooms, a guest house, pool and orangery, plus 75 acres of farmland, including a walnut grove.
Why The refurbished castle retains original features such as carved and painted wooden beams, parquet flooring, fireplaces and exposed stonework.

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Should Eilean Donan Castle be featured in Monopoly?

eilean donan castle 19 pictures, e-cards
Eilean Donan Castle e-cards

Board game Monopoly is published in a new Highlands version in October . The question is , what properties should feature in the new game ?  Eilean Donan Castle must surely qualify as an iconic building and the most photographed castle in Scotland . The publishers have decided to give the public a say and anyone can vote for their favourite location or landmark between now and April 2 nd . The famous board game, celebrating its 75th anniversary this year , will retain its usual format.

The ownership of property has historically been a controversial issue in the Highlands since the days of the clearances  and it is sure to cause heated debate when voting starts in Inverness.

More than 30 spots are up for grabs before the new game, in English and Gaelic, goes on sale. The Highlands have been described as the playground of the rich and famous with many well known personalities owning Scottish castles , including Mohammed al Fayed ( Balnagown Castle, Easter Ross ), Cameron Mackintosh , painter Jack Vettriano ( Easterheughs Castle )  and Peter de Savary ( the luxury Skibo Castle resort and the venue for Madonna and Guy Ritchie’s wedding ) . Many castles in the Highlands have been sold in recent years . Duncraig Castle was sold last year . Eilean Donan Castle has iconic status as one of the most photographed castles in Scotland . Urquhart Castle , on the shore of Loch Ness and its famous monster, should get serious consideration .

Other suggestions include the Glenfinnan Monument , Inverness Castle, the Cairngorm ski centre, Ben Nevis and the iconic Caledonian Canal . MSP Peter Peacock  nominated Assynt in Sutherland,  bought by crofters from private owners, to replace the prestigious Mayfair.

Maybe Highland Monopoly should feature Sabhal Mor Ostaig, the Gaelic college in Skye, as part of a Gaelic element. It could not be bought and sold, but anyone landing on it would have to learn at least one new Gaelic word in order to be able to move forward again.

A board spokeswoman said: “Gaelic is very much a part of the identity of the Highlands and its place names and we suggest areas such as Culloden and iconic structures such as the Glenfinnan Viaduct”

Cameron Mackintosh’s pocket castle is on the shore of Loch Nevis .The building commands the point between Tarbet Bay and the main loch, midway between the two tiny villages of Tarbet and Kylesmorar, looking due west to the distant Cuillin mountains on the Isle of Skye. Inaccessible by car,  it is pretty difficult scrambling miles over the headlands by foot.  Mackintosh had bought himself some abandoned estate lodge in this remote spot, perhaps last extended by an Edwardian laird, and spared no expense in bringing it back to life.

Does Eilean Donan Castle qualify as an iconic building in the Highlands . Vote now in our online poll

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The secret castle , the farmer and the judge

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Edinburgh Castle ( not the secret castle)

If you want to build your own castle and the local planning laws prevent it , what do you do ? Well, you could do what a farmer did – he built his castle and hid it for 4 years behind straw bales . Robert Fidler (sic) thought he could not be prosecuted after 4 years for breaking the planning law . Unfortunately a High Court judge took a different view and told him to demolish it .

A High Court judge ruled that Robert Fidler, 60, who sneakily built the luxury home – complete with ramparts and a cannon – deceived the local planning authority and was not entitled to benefit from the deception.

Mr Fidler, 60, from Surrey in southwest England, hoped to get another chance at gaining planning permission to keep his dream home.

He moved into the massive castle with his wife Linda and their son Harry in 2002 and successfully hid it from local authorities for four years by stacking up straw bales.

He took away the bales in May 2006 because he thought that after four years, his new home was immune from planning enforcement controls.

But the local council issued a notice in March 2007 requiring that it be demolished on the grounds that the building was erected without planning permission.

A government planning inspector rejected Mr Fidler’s appeal in May 2008, saying the removal of the straw bale camouflage constituted part of the building works.

The inspector said Mr Fidler could not rely on the four-year immunity period and must demolish the building.

The court considered whether the removal of the hay bales and tarpaulin was, in the eyes of the law, part of the ongoing building operation.

Ruling that it was, judge Sir Thayne Forbes said: “In my view, the inspector’s findings of fact make it abundantly clear that the erection (and) removal of the straw bales was an integral … part of the building operations that were intended to deceive the local planning authority and to achieve by deception lawful status for a dwelling built in breach of planning control.”[poll id=”1”] Continue reading The secret castle , the farmer and the judge

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Castle of Mey for sale – brick by brick

The Castle of Mey is raising funds for a new turret in a unique way – by selling parts of the castle brick by brick. Anyone donating £1000 will have a brick with their name on it in the new turret . The Castle of Mey was a favourite residence of the Queen Mother . It is in the far north of Scotland near John o’Groats .The aim of the appeal is to raise £35,000 to build the new turret in the south-east corner of the walled garden at the castle . The turret will be built with local Caithness stone and it will give an outstanding view across the garden towards the Pentland Firth and Orkney. Bricks will cost £35 , £65 , £250 to £1000 . Subscribers will become either a patron or friend of the Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust

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Fifteen Scottish castles for sale

The Scottish property market looks like it is bucking the economic trend with at least 15 castles for sale at the moment .
Just added – Myres Castle in Fife is for sale




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Castles and three sporting estates are for sale in Scotland, with interest from buyers across Europe and the US.



A “starter castle” can cost as little as £150,000 for Westhall Castle in Aberdeenshire to those selling for millions of pounds. Parts of the building date back to the 16th century, with 17th-century additions and a major Victorian extension by A & W Reid, of Inverness.
In the 1980s and early-1990s, Westhall Castle was run as a hotel with self-catering units, but today requires complete restoration.Historically the property of the Bishops of Aberdeen, it passed to a branch of the Gordons at the Reformation and, in 1681, was bought by James Horn, vicar of Elgin, who married a Leslie of Pitcaple.

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Duncraig Castle near Plockton was for sale at £800,000.Update- Duncraig Castle has been sold .
Set in 25 acres of private landscaped grounds, Johnston Tower, part of Keithhall House, was originally constructed as Caskieben Castle in the 16th century. At one time, Caskieben Castle was owned by classical Latin poet Arthur Johnston, before it was bought in 1662 by the infamous Keith family. The Keiths were a major Scottish military family in the 17th century with Jacobite connections and they transformed the building from a modest tower house construction to a grander Renaissance building.
Johnston Tower is a unique part of Inverurie’s heritage and its new owners will be funding the restoration of many other unique buildings throughout the north-east. The corridors of Keith hall have featured many popular historical figures of the Keith family, such as George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal of Scotland, and a Jacobite rebel.

A 5,000-acre Dalchully Estate, near Laggan, Inverness-shire – the Highland retreat of Xavier-Louis Vuitton, heir to the world-famous fashion dynasty – is on the market for £4.25m.

Foreign buyers are attracted because they get much better value for their money now.Sporting estates and castles have not lost any significant value in the current climate.

Balfour Castle off Orkney, one of the most northerly castles in the world , sold for more than £2.7m .Castles and sporting estates have proved over the years to be good investments. They are certainly better investments than the stock market. Since 2006 the FTSE has halved in value and while the price of estates or castles may not have gone up as swiftly, they haven’t dipped as significantly.

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Skelmorlie Castle in Ayrshire, which comes with 27 and a half acres of land and a picturesque view of the Isle of Arran, is on sale for offers of more than £1.95m, while Barcaldine Castle in Oban has just gone on the market for offers over £1.35m.
Geoffrey Nicholsby bought Duntarvie Castle in West Lothian nearly 18 years ago. He initially wanted to transform it into a five-star hotel, but later set about developing the property as a retreat for customers to get kilted out. The 61-year-old has changed his plans and instead put the remains of the castle, on the Hopetoun Estate near Winchburgh, up for sale. With property planning consent already in place for it to become a corporate headquarters – complete with its own retail, guest accommodation and helipad – selling agents expect it to be snapped up by an international firm looking for a property as a global HQ.

Savills have got four castles on the market, three of which are in the north-east, which is very rare. People sell their castles for a variety of reasons, but it tends to be people whose children have left home.

It is amazing and quite unprecedented that as many as 15 castles are on the market because these types of properties tend to be held by the same people for a very long time.

The credit crunch has had an impact and these people are looking to realise capital. Rural property castles and large estates tend to be held by the same families for generations. Half of Scotland hasn’t been on the market for centuries.

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Melville Castle Hotel redevelopment plans

A Scottish castle hotel is beating the credit crunch with news of a major expansion
Hotel owner Steven McLeod has bought Melville Castle Hotel near Edinburgh and intends to develop it into a five-star spa and event facility.

Melville Castle Hotel is due to open in March after a comprehensive refurbishment with an extra 50 staff .
However, the redevelopment doesn’t stop there and there are plans for a further 120 bedrooms, a luxury spa, a steakhouse, fine dining restaurant and meeting and event facilities for more than 500 guests.

The 33-year-old is in talks with Historic Scotland with the aim of submitting plans for the new venue within the next 18 months. The hotel is set in a 60-acre estate on the banks of the North Esk river.
The new development will create 1500 construction jobs .

Mr McLeod said: “We are facing difficult economic times but it is at times like these we have to stick together.” Guide to best hotels in Scotland