Toby Keel
Britain is full of fabulous castles, and we at Country Life love them — particularly our Architectural Editor John Goodall, the man who literally wrote the book on castles (he even called it 'Castles').
Some are grand and impressive; some are crumbling ruins; and some look just like the sort of fantasy creations you saw in picture books about the Knights of the Round Table. Augill Castle is one of latter — and the good news is that it's looking for a new owner, with an asking price of a reasonable-sounding £2 million.
It's particularly reasonable-sounding because — as Cosmo Linzee Gordon explained a while ago — many castles have winds howling through the corridors and water pouring through the roof. Sometimes even when it's not raining.
Augill is different; it's a place that's in good nick. Very good nick indeed; in fact, it's currently an award-winning boutique hotel near Kirkby Stephen that can be hired out for weddings and other events. As you might have guessed, this isn't a medieval castle that was built for warfare or conquest, but rather a Victorian Gothic folly. The only boiling oil you'll find in this castle is carefully managed by the catering team in the well-equipped kitchens.
While it's currently a business, Augill Castle would absolutely make a dream country house, subject to the necessary permissions, as it's large, but not so big that you and your family would feel ridiculous kicking around in a 400-room palace.
Four-poster beds? Tick
There are seven en-suite bedrooms in the main house and a range of formal and informal reception rooms, including a Music Room — a space which, in its hospitality guise, is used as a 46-cover restaurant) with an Arts-and-Crafts fireplace.
There's a lovely mix of old and new throughout.
No rural castle hotel is complete without a well-stocked bar.
The library leads out onto a terrace and the hotel’s bar is located in the conservatory. Five separate garden suites and estate houses provide a further six bedrooms. Grounds, including a tennis court, parking for 30 cars and a playground, extend to 10 acres.
Augill Castle is for sale via Knight Frank at £2 million — see more details and pictures.
10 acres of grounds come with Augill Castle
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