When the weather gets this hot, it can start to play tricks on your mind. It can make you forget how to do your job. It can make you accidentally drink too much beer in a pub garden. It can make you think about buying a new house. Not a ‘new’ house, of course, but a run-down castle on the Isle of Wight.
I am blaming the heat on my decision to further investigate the sale of Norris Castle Estate on the Isle of Wight. It’s with Savills for £3 million, and I would like to buy it. Do I have £3 million? I do not. Do I know how to restore a castle and manage an estate of some 225 acres? Also no.
Everyone needs a bathing house.
But the sun is telling me those are small issues. Perhaps you might feel the same. It’s not like a castle on the Isle of Wight, designed by James Wyatt and built in the 1790s comes up for sale every day.
As mentioned, it comes with 225 acres of grounds and parkland, believed to have been designed by Humphry Repton. It's the only Grade I-Listed landscape on the island. The whole estate is a veritable who’s who of architectural and horticultural excellence.
The landing house, where you could park your boat, if you're feeling fancy.
Along with the castle, the estate also comes with a very cool Grade II-listed bathing house, as well as a landing house.
It’s also in a prime location on the Isle of Wight. Osborne House, the home of Queen Victoria, is next door, while the East Cowes ferry is only a mile away. Views of the Solent come as standard.
I could fix Norris Castle. I could return it to its former glory. Maybe you could too.
-
'None of this would be here had the tithe barn not burned down that night’: How the terrifying destruction of a medieval landmark sparked the creation of the magnificent gardens of Bledlow ManorAfter inheriting the Bledlow Manor in 2018, Lord Carrington has been devoted to the thoughtful renewal and replanting of this historic Buckinghamshire garden. Tiffany Daneff reports, with photography by Clive Nichols.
-
For every new stone mason seven retire: St Paul's plan to save heritage crafts — and itself in the processAs St Paul’s Cathedral launches the Wren Centre of Excellence to train young people to repair Britain’s historic buildings, Lotte Brundle talks to restoration workers about why their industry is on a cliffs edge.
-
Farms, fishing and a former owner who once bought Stonehenge. You could have it all at Bapton Manor1,796 acres of the Cranborne Chase National Landscape. What's not to love
-
A meticulously restored Scottish estate for sale, dripping with history, character and wildlifeThe Craigengillan Estate in Ayrshire sits in 2,850 acres above the valley of the River Doon.
-
Sir Michael Caine's former home on the Thames is a testament to idyllic living and good tasteAt Rectory Farm House, luxury and modern convenience blend seamlessly with rural England. Is this the house that Jaws 4 built?
-
White sand beaches, smuggler's coves, teeming wildlife and a ruined castle in a Scottish island that's on the market for the first time in almost a centuryJust off the west coast of Scotland lies Shuna Island, a true playground of open spaces, natural beauty, wildlife, beaches and — yes — a castle. And it's looking for a new owner.
-
'One of the 10 most perfect houses in Britain' has come to the market at £9.5 millionPenny Churchill looks at the magical Maperton House.
-
17 outstanding homes for sale across Britain, from under £250k to £6.5 million, as seen in Country LifeSomething for every budget in this week's round up of homes across the country that have come to market via Country Life.
-
An utterly charming island home in Scotland with gardens so beautiful they made the cover of Country LifeAn Cala on the Isle of Seil has a fascinating history that is only enhanced by its amazing setting.
-
Soft tones and a sense of place: A Mayfair duplex that breaks the modern mouldA new designer-led residence at 60 Curzon in Mayfair reminds us that everything new doesn't necessarily have to look it.
