Homebuyers can be king of their own castle after a historic house and castellated tower has gone on the market for £1.5m.
Astwell Castle is Grade II listed and a scheduled ancient monument but needs some extensive repair to restore it to its former glory.
The once-grand home dates back, in parts, to the 15th century and was associated with wealthy families, but was largely dilapidated by the late 19th century.
Astwell Castle, near the town of Brackley, Northamptonshire, is just 30 minutes from Milton Keynes. It is a Grade II listed building and a scheduled monument, and potential homeowners could own this historic castle complete with accessible roof towers
This deluxe drawing room shows the historical significance of the castle, with a fireplace and wooden beams above. The once-grand home dates back to the 15th century
The property, which sits in 33 acres of land near the market town of Brackley, Northamptonshire, now offers development potential with planning consent in place for some barns to be converted into two dwellings.
It is on the market with estate agents Knight Frank.
The imposing building is actually the gatehouse that belonged to a former fortified manor house, thought to have been built for Thomas Lovett in the late 15th century.
It stayed in the Lovett family for four generations before passing to the Shirleys by marriage. George Shirley demolished most of the medieval manor house and built a new house beside the gatehouse in 1606.
In the luxury drawing room, above, there is a carved stone fireplace with a coat of arms for the Lovett and Shirley families. The castle stayed in the Lovett family for four generations before passing to the Shirleys by marriage
This kitchen would not look out of place in a normal house, but for a castle complete with turreted towers, the modern kitchen shows how the castle could be a good buy for modern families too. The property has lots of dated architectural features including mullion windows, antique doors, ornate fireplaces, an oak staircase and parquet floors
This room leads out to the beautiful back garden, just yards from the stairs. The house has a reception hall, drawing room, dining room, kitchen, study, four bedrooms and two bathrooms, which would make it perfect for a modern family
The gardens provide an excellent backdrop to the house, which sits in 33 acres of land. The gardens include a former outdoor swimming pool, vegetable garden and greenhouses, as well as lawns and pasture land
It later fell into disrepair and the hamlet was only occupied by three cottages by the 18th century. By 1874 the manor house had been largely dismantled and stayed in that state until 1958 when the building was restored by Joan Wake.
The property has lots of architectural features including mullion windows, antique doors, ornate fireplaces, an oak staircase and parquet floors.
The tower has a 15th century stone spiral staircase, which leads to two handsome tower rooms that have beautiful views, as well as access to the castellated roof. It has archway timberwork with a carved date of 1638.
The tower has a 15th century stone spiral staircase, which leads to two handsome tower rooms that have beautiful views. Homebuyers can be king of their own castle with this historic house castellated tower rooms, complete with turrets
The beautiful historic stonework, seen close up above, makes Astley Castle both a stunning piece of architecture and a modern family home for new owners to enjoy. The castle needs some extensive repair to restore it to its former glory
This picture shows the property in its entirety with the castle home shown on the right, and the various outbuildings shown on the left. A former outdoor swimming pool is also shown in the far right of the property, perfect for hot summer days as king of your own castle
This beautiful archway timberwork has a carved date of 1638, at the time when Charles I dissolved Parliament and began another year of ruling the country as the monarch alone. Just ten years later, civil war would break out. Now you could own this piece of history
The ancient fireplace in the living room is complete with this carved stone fireplace, which shows the coat of arms of the previous families which owned it. It later fell into disrepair and the hamlet was only occupied by three cottages by the 18th century. By 1874 the manor house had been largely dismantled and stayed in that state until 1958
Beautiful Astwell Castle is Grade II listed and a scheduled ancient monument but needs some extensive repair to restore it to its former glory. The once-grand home dates back, in parts, to the 15th century and was associated with wealthy families
The house has 4,822 sq ft of accommodation with a reception hall, drawing room, dining room, kitchen/breakfast room, study, four bedrooms and two bathrooms.
There is also three attic rooms, which could be converted into additional accommodation, along with the tower rooms.
It also has a number of outbuildings including barns, store rooms, stables and car ports, which total another 17,427 sq ft of accommodation.
A deer park was created in the grounds in 1547 and a Second World War bomber plane heading on a mission to Germany crashed near the farm buildings in 1943, killing all ten crew members.
Now the gardens include a former outdoor swimming pool, vegetable garden and greenhouses, as well as lawns and pasture land.
James Way from Knight Frank said: ‘Astwell Castle’s main appeal is obviously the architectural interest and the ancient monument status.
‘Along with that, geographically it’s very well located for London and the West Midlands, it’s nicely situated in open countryside with good views all around and it’s set in the middle of 30 acres with a wide range of buildings.
‘It does need a significant investment to stabilise the structure of the tower and update the house for what people want in today’s world.
‘The owners will have to work closely with conservation officers but with the right investment they’re going to have a pretty special property.
‘It’s very striking as you approach it through narrow country lanes. If someone likes the idea of living in their own castle, this is the perfect property.
‘With the outbuildings it could also be ideal for running a business or as extra accommodation for extended family or a residential business.’
The property also comes with outbuildings. There is great development potential with planning consent in place for some barns to be converted into two dwellings
The floor plan, above, shows the 4,822 sq ft of accommodation in the house, with a reception hall, drawing room, dining room, kitchen/breakfast room, study, four bedrooms and two bathrooms
This floor plan shows the location of the rooms in relation to other buildings. It also has a number of outbuildings including barns, store rooms, stables and car ports, which total another 17,427 sq ft of accommodation