|
Author
|
Topic: how much do castles cost?
|
amidala
Member
|
posted 01-15-2000 07:46 AM
 
my friends and i are imaging the future...and we want to have a castle in it. We were thinking about becomeing successful and buying a castle, and haveing enough room for at least 4 or 5 couples and about that many guest rooms, with some land around it, say 15 acres or more, but we can't find out how much that might be. If anyone has any vauge ideas, please either reply to this, or email me at amidala7710@hotmail.com thanks!!!! |
duncan
Senior Member
|
posted 01-15-2000 08:14 AM
Both Savoy and Leven have home pages about their castles that were perchased and on the web are several sites with castles for sale. Good luck------------------
Megan and Ralph
DUNCAN CASTLE
[This message has been edited by duncan (edited 01-15-2000).] |
Levan
Moderator
|
posted 01-15-2000 08:31 AM
AmidalaIn Scotland, the biggest issues are history then location. I can't speak for anywhere else. History
In Scotland, castles with specific roles in the history of our nation (politically, culturally and in relation to clan identity) carry a much higher price than those that don't. If you were the richest person in the world, you would not be able to separate some owners from their castle - at any price. Location
The more remote the castle, the cheaper it is. Generally, in Scotland, the nearer the castle is to Glasgow or Edinburgh (perhaps Aberdeen or Inverness too) the more expensive it becomes. A castle worth, say £300,000 located just 30 miles outside Oban would be worth more than £1,000,000 if a similar distance from Edinburgh. Condition & Land
Many castles are in ruinous condition. Sure, you might be able to buy them cheaply, but you'd spend a fortune restoring them. In many instances, you wouldn't get planning permission anyway. Many castles have cost more to restore than the eventual residual value. Such restorations are clearly a labour of love rather than a sound financial venture. Even castles in pristine condition (such as mine) can be expensive to maintain. My advice is to spend more in the first place on a castle where somebody else has already got it into the kind of condition you'd be happy living with! Consequently, the condition of the castle has a greater bearing on its price rather than the amount of land. Again, once you get out of the major cities, most land is of low financial - you can't build on it, and nothing much grows! You really need a lot of land if it is to be any use for country sports. Realistic Prices 1999-2000
Outside of the Central belt, castles in Scotland start from around £150,000 (pounds sterling). However, most Scottish castles are generally smaller than the size you suggest - typically, genuine castles (rather than C17 romanticisms) have only three or four bedrooms. Some have bedrooms in barmkin buildings and other later extensions. Hope this helps
Levan |
duncan
Senior Member
|
posted 01-15-2000 09:13 AM
Although our land lends itself more to teepees and buffalows than a castle. Still, once our project is built, we won't be selling for any cost.[This message has been edited by duncan (edited 02-04-2000).] [This message has been edited by duncan (edited 02-04-2000).] |
canadab
Senior Member
|
posted 01-15-2000 01:51 PM
As the real estate world is so fond of saying "location location location". The value of a property is a function of the condition and type of preoperty and its LOCATION. As mentioned above, the closer you chosen property is to an area of greater population, the higher the land value. Though pop. size is not the real concern, it's the relative value of the adjoining properties that is the biggest factor. There is another consideration: the government.. (do I seem to gripe about the government a lot or what Gordon?) Historic sites are very expensive to restore, even more expensive to habitate. You are better off buying one previously restored (if you can find someone willing to part with their life's blood and toil) or building one. The advantage of building is that you can choose the location, floorplan, and placement. The down side is the expense and headache of new construction (with its own government intrusions and permitting). The structure I am building (govt willing) will be valued at close to 1.2 million by the time I have finished. But I don't spend a lot of time thinking about the value in dollars... it's my life's ambition and a home to all my family from the day I build it down through time... until some ungrateful great grandson sells (heheh). Brian Canada
aka Amberein du la Anair
------------------
If you can dream it, you can make it a reality. |
wurdsmiff
unregistered
|
posted 01-15-2000 03:09 PM
This is very much an exception, and since the information was gained second hand I can only vouch for the initial cost of the property, since this was much publicised. Mains Castle at East Kilbride Scotland was bought as an unroofed ruin for ONE PENNY!!!!!
The rationalle was that the farmer owner could do nothing with it, and it occupied land which he could not use because of the castle. He was not allowed to demolish, it had a long way to go before it collapsed, and so thought someone should have use of it. One day a lucky man asked, and bought it on the spot. I am not aware if the land went with it, some other arrangement may have been made about that. The castle was restored wonderfully, and I believe the cost was somewhere in the region of £200,000. It was sold last year, having been advertised for sale at offers over £500,000.
I would be delighted if someone could confirm any parts of this story.
I agree with what Levan says, but doesn't it make you wonder why, if a ruin can be worth so much, so many have been demolished in recent decades?------------------
'Give me the groves that lofty brave,
The storms, by Castle Gordon'.
Visit my web-site at
www.castlesontheweb.com/members/wurdsmiff/castles.htm Gordon.
[This message has been edited by wurdsmiff (edited 01-15-2000).] |
Levan
Moderator
|
posted 01-17-2000 12:39 PM
Mains CastleIt is one of the castles I looked at before buying Levan. It is a single tower of five floors. Land included at the time was around five acres. Actually, I still have the estate agent's leaflet. One of the interesting things about the restoration of Mains Castle is that it was done in quite an austere fashion - I suspect more like it would have been when first built rather than more recent centuries. We decided that it would be a nice place to visit but didn't think our family could live with it! Too dark and glooomy for us. It'd make a great restaurant or conference venue - I'd heard that one person making offer had precisely that in mind. The other deciding factor was the surrounding area. True, Mains had a little more land than Levan, but I'm afraid the views over East Kilbride just don't compare to the Firth of Clyde and the highlands beyond. The grounds of Mains were mostly scrub, while Levan's are ancient woodland, crags and burn. Just over one year ago the castle was advertised at around £250,000. Maybe it's been bought and sold recently for a large profit! I really don't know about last year. Certainly, if it cost £200,000 to restore (pesonally, I feel this sounds a touch modest) the first sale made only £50,000. Depending upon how long it took to do the job - this could easily have been lost in other costs (interest on loans, lost income, legal fees and such like). So, in all likelihood, another labour of love (no shame in that). Levan |
wurdsmiff
unregistered
|
posted 01-17-2000 01:05 PM
Interesting, I'd heard the story from a 'friend'of the initial purchaser(I think she may have tagged on to one party in the house) , and wanted to know how it panned out. I read the 'penny' story in a local rag, although my usual sources are much more reliable. You might be interested in it's current use, and there is a link to Mains from COTW.
http://www.mainscastle.freeserve.co.uk/ I agree re the view, and in recent years East Kilbride has closed in on the castle a little too much. Sorry about repeadedly editing this post, having a very bad browser day.
------------------
'Give me the groves that lofty brave,
The storms, by Castle Gordon'.
Visit my web-site at
www.castlesontheweb.com/members/wurdsmiff/castles.htm Gordon. [This message has been edited by wurdsmiff (edited 01-17-2000).]several times!!!
[This message has been edited by wurdsmiff (edited 01-17-2000).] |
Levan
Moderator
|
posted 01-20-2000 06:52 AM
Thanks for the link to Mains Castle.It looks like the current owner has cheered-up the feel of the castle. Nice looking website too. In terms of the encroachment of East Kilbride, Mains has far more space between itself and the neighbouring properties than do we. Looking on the up-side is that we do have very nice neighbours and that our children have nearby friends with whom to play without us having to drive them everywhere. Besides, if Levan had more space, we wouldn't have been able to afford the purchase (back to the original topic!). It's my understanding that previous owners of Levan financed restoration work by selling parcels of land for housing development. Not so long ago, it was common to get grants for 'restoring' derelict castles. Unfortunately, many were done to a very poor standard without any sympathy towards the historic character of the buildings. As a result, the planning authorities are reluctant to give permission for restoration work - preferring preservation of properties in their current state instead. You'd be extremely lucky to receive financial help with either of these projects - Scotland simply has too many such properties to make government assistance viable. One the main devices used to block 'restoration' is the designation of properties as 'national monuments' which, ironically, protect a building more stringently that that of listed buildings. To restore a building one has to have it redesignated - a bureaucratic delight for the lawyers! My own view is that the current regulation has, 'thrown the baby out with the bath-water' in that it makes it extremely difficult to set about restoring a property properly. Knowing first-hand the rate at which buildings decay with only minor neglect, the idea that 'preserving' properties in their current state is unrealistic. Their is nothing like occupancy as an incentive to proper maintenance and a fire in the hearth to keep the ravages of the Scottish climate at bay! Levan
Re. editing your submission - maybe Castle Quest needs a spelling checker! They have a good one on the mail system used by www.twigger.co.uk
|
wurdsmiff
unregistered
|
posted 01-20-2000 08:04 AM
I agree that Mains has more space around it, but imagine that this is more than compensated for by your view.
Thanks for making the points about how obstructive the legislation can be, particularily National Monument status. It makes things slightly more clear to me, though I think we are in agreement that much more should and could be done. Regarding the number of sites available, yes we are lucky, but it ires that we have all the more to lose. Occupancy is certainly the best preservation tool.------------------
'Give me the groves that lofty brave,
The storms, by Castle Gordon'.
Visit my web-site at
www.castlesontheweb.com/members/wurdsmiff/castles.htm Gordon. |
wurdsmiff
unregistered
|
posted 01-20-2000 08:09 AM
PS The recent restoration of Hallbar Tower for the Vivat Trust was partly funded by The Heritage Lottery and Historic Scotland. Dalziell House was restored and converted into flats partly at the national lottery players expense. Another source of grants, albeit with conditions?
http://www.celticcastles.com/vivat/html/hallbar.html
------------------
'Give me the groves that lofty brave,
The storms, by Castle Gordon'.
Visit my web-site at
www.castlesontheweb.com/members/wurdsmiff/castles.htm Gordon. [This message has been edited by wurdsmiff (edited 01-20-2000).] |
Blackfrost
Member
|
posted 01-28-2000 08:37 PM
I am sooo glad to have found this web site. I have a question: Has anybody ever had a...longing, need, desire, to own and live in a castle? It sounds weird I know, but when I visited places like Schloss Neuschwanstein, Cochem, Nanstein, Berg Eltz etc. etc., I would get an overpowering wave of emotion, kind of like nostalgia, but so much more. I can't even explain it but that's how I felt. And still do, actually. Anyway, I would like to request aid in finding a castle which I could purchase, or simply move into (I know you're laughing about the latter). I am seriously considering abandoning my life in America and moving into a very remote, but livable castle somewhere in Europe. It's a huge...no, monumentous, life decision, but every fiber of my being simply screams that I must do it. Can someone help me? I have another post in General Geneology which you may wish to read. Please E-mail me. Thank you for reading whilst I ramble. |
canadab
Senior Member
|
posted 01-29-2000 10:58 AM
http://www.castlesontheweb.com/quest/Forum7/HTML/000188.html
here is a list of some of the castles for sale currently.
Canadab
------------------
If you can dream it, you can make it a reality. |
Merlin
Senior Member
|
posted 03-10-2000 03:06 AM
a year or two ago, the castle HERBLINGEN near schaffhausen (nothern switzerland) was up for sale. it's a beautyful medieval castle with a strong tower (13th cent.) , inner court, palas, gardens, etc. if I remember correctly, the starting price at the auction was 1 million swiss francs (only for the empty castle, without the land surrounding it). well, if I had the money, I would have buyed it without thinking. |
duncan
Senior Member
|
posted 03-10-2000 07:57 AM
What is it about this castle that sets it apart from the others that you like? |
Merlin
Senior Member
|
posted 03-13-2000 07:47 AM
Well, castle Herblingen is not very different from other castles in the same area. I just dreamed about buying it, because in Switzerland, 80% of the medieval castles are destroyed (unfortunately, our ancestors were very fond of destroying them ...) and most of the others are public property - so you very seldom get the chance to buy one. |
Levan
Moderator
|
posted 08-17-2000 01:59 AM
Law Castle, West Kilbride, Ayrshire, Scotland is now for sale. Law Castle is an A-listed building, built in 15th century for the sister of James III, King of Scotland.Law Castle has benefited from extensive and extremely high quality restoration work. However, the owner's ill health has meant that he has been unable to complete this project (although the heavy-duty work to the main fabric of the building is done). An ideal opportunity, I'd say, for a castle enthusiast! Agent, Slater Hogg: http://maker.slaterhogg.co.uk:591/slater/over50_main.html
Select Premier Property - Largs. Levan [This message has been edited by Levan (edited 08-17-2000).] | |
UBBFriend: Email This Page to Someone!
Castle Quest
