Bath Lodge Castle looks for all the world the archetype of the late-Norman English castle, with castellations, a huge timber front door and even – saints preserve us! – arrow slits.
Yet the whole place was built 700 years after the 12th century creations it mimics: it was created in 1806 as a gate lodge for one of England's largest estates, right in the middle of the folly craze which swept England in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Now, a further 200 years on, it's on the market for £2.25 million.
Yet, technically speaking, this is no mere folly. Within months of completion it was granted official permission for crenellation – i.e. defensive fortifications – meaning that this is effectively a proper little castle.
Even in 1806, however, we very much doubt anyone except a mischievous teenage inhabitant would have been letting loose with a bow and arrow from those slits. Though today, those naughty teenagers could let loose while in the shower...
The castle's Grade II-listed features aren't just on the inside: there are several turreted circular bathrooms that are extraordinarily snug, while three of the 11 bedrooms having their own balcony or roof terrace.
In the castle grounds, it's fair to say that the medieval theme dries up a little. Instead of a space for jousting or falconry, there is a gym and a cabana with an outdoor hot tub, sauna, bamboo shower and an outdoor bar. Henry II would have no idea what hit him.
He would, however, have been more at home in the surrounding land: the house comes with a generous 3.6 acres that includes woodland, winding streams crossed by picturesque bridges and extremely pleasant lawned areas.
For the last four years, the property has actually been run as a boutique hotel in the village of Norton St Philip. Located seven miles from the beautiful city of Bath it could easily continue as such, but could just as easily be returned to residential use with fairly minimal effort.
Could it be returned to use as an actual castle, however? That might take a bit more effort...
The house is on the market with Savills for £2.25 million – see more details and pictures here.
Credit: Alamy
250 years of Bath’s Royal Crescent: From Druidic influences to big screen fame
2017 marks 250 years since the first foundation stone was laid.
Credit: The Gate House
A pocket-sized castle in Salisbury that is both adorable and affordable
Salisbury is one of the finest cities in the south of England – and if you're looking to move there,
-
Eight bedrooms of unlisted Edwardian elegance with sweeping views of SomersetAshton House sits near the market town of Chard and comes with a wealth of amenities both inside and out.
-
A waterside cottage in Devon with a private quay, idyllic views and the prettiest summerhouse we've seen in yearsRight beside the picturesque Yealm Estuary, No 1 Noss Mayo is an idyllic home that feels like an escape from the world. Annabel Dixon takes a look.
-
This elegant Greek villa offers would-be buyers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live in the shadow of the AcropolisAthenian Legacy consists of two houses in walking —and almost touching — distance of one of the world’s most famous and precious landmarks.
-
Six charming homes up for sale, including one dubbed 'one of the most picturesque in Dorset', as seen in Country LifeOur look at the finest houses to come up for sale through Country Life in the past week is full of delights, from a new-Georgian mansion to a perfectly-sized Hertfordshire estate.
-
A Buckinghamshire mansion built for the speech therapist who set Churchill on his path to greatnessPenny Churchill takes a look at Rignalls, a classic Arts-and-Crafts home that looks like it's stepped out of the pages of an EM Forster novel.
-
An idyllic Hampstead mansion whose price has risen nine times faster than inflation — and it's not hard to see whyCloth Hill is even more beautiful on the inside than it is on the outside.
-
Some of Scotland's most beautiful churches are being sold off for as little as £40,000 — but a word of warning before you take the plungeLucy Denton examines how best to help former church buildings thrive as times move on and property changes hands.
-
Inside the £28 million mansion designed to 'shake things up' and 're-define the English country house of the 21st century'With everything from helicopter parking and a 1000-bottle wine cellar to bespoke wallpaper designed by Christian Lacroix, Harford Manor is a country house like no other. Annabel Dixon took a closer look and spoke to the man behind its creation.
