This historic 45-room castle worth £2.5 million could be yours for just a fiver.
Orchardton Castle, is being raffled off by owner Susan DeVere, after repeated attempts to sell the stunning home failed.
Last year Mrs DeVere revealed she has spent a small fortune turning the incredible property in the Scottish baronial style into the perfect family home.
But she hopes to move to be closer to her mother 300 miles away and cut back on the expense of living in a large castle which can rack up serious bills for those who take on the challenge.
The property, built in the 1880’s, has been valued at around £2.5 million and contains 17 bedrooms, three self-sufficient flats, a 20-seat cinema, drawing room, music room, games room, and an art studio.
It also comes with five acres of land and stunning views across Orchardton Bay to England and according to the owner, can be rented out for an eye-watering £2,500 per night.
The castle is surrounded in amazing colours and bright blooms in the spring and summer
Remarkably tickets for the draw, which closes this month, on May 18, cost just £5 and the prize comes with no strings attached including no mortgage, no stamp duty and no legal fees.
Susan, a mum-of-one and an author from London, hopes to sell 550,000 tickets.
She is looking for a smaller home nearer to her mum so plans to donate any extra cash to several charities, including children’s charity Rainbow Trust.
Susan, who bought the castle back in 2003, decided to raffle the property off after meeting many people with good intentions to buy it who couldn’t afford it.
She said: ‘With so much natural beauty and history Orchardton gripped me immediately.
The view from the castle is enough to encourage anyone to buy into the idea that this could be their dream home
‘I found it to be a magical, tranquil and healing place; the castle and its lands have their own micro-climate due to the Gulf Stream and the sheltered bay, we even have a palm tree.
‘The competition is a great way to raise money for important causes and I only taking enough to pay off the mortgage and get somewhere closer to my mother.
‘If you win you will be offered a week at Orchardton to decide if you want to accept the prize or to take a cash prize instead.
‘Orchardton could be put to so many good uses, but I understand that some people will want to just sell the prize as it is such high value or take a cash prize.
‘I will be happy to introduce the winner to the property and to discuss the ample opportunities for businesses Orchardton possesses.
‘It would also make a fantastic home for several families.’
Orchardton is within easy reach of Scotland’s two largest cities, Edinburgh and Glasgow, and London can be reached in four hours by train.
Orchardton has a colourful history, having being used as a stately home, a hotel, a school, and an artists’ commune.
One of its founders, William Douglas, a reputed smuggler, is said to have buried treasure on the property.
The owner Mrs Devere has previously talked about falling in love with the castle after being hooked by its Disney style magic when she purchased it 15 years ago.
She spotted it in a countryside magazine and it was love at first sight.
However Life in the castle has not always been idyllic for the 56-year-old author, bringing her heartbreak as well as romance and the joy of motherhood – along with a vast renovation bill.
She said: ‘I immediately thought it was somewhere I wanted to live. It just looked like a Disney castle.
The castle has access to a stunning lawn that could easily host a good game of croquet
‘I imagined a kind of country life. I was going to ride, and have pet sheep.’
Orchardton seemed like the perfect retreat where an author could concentrate on writing.
The home has a lovely, modern bathroom and boasts massive rooms
‘I had been in a fire at my last property and was looking for somewhere that was fireproof and had plenty of space, which would be an escape. I didn’t know it was this big when I bought it. I came to see it, and I didn’t have a lot of time, but I’d already decided I wanted to buy it from the picture.
Farming life is right outside the window for those who love to be up close and personal with the great outdoors
Built by smuggler William Douglas Robinson in the 1880s, it has five turrets, four floors, a library, and stables, along with a resident ghost.
It even has its own water supply. Most would-be chatelaines would have regarded it as a bargain for £450,000, but Susan was soon undertaking major renovations that ended up costing another £500,000.
The home has some beautiful stained glass and bright light which is unusual for a castle
‘It was actually quite expensive for what I had to do here,’ she says.
‘There wasn’t even a kitchen. There were ugly partitions through the rooms, there were pipes going through doors, there were a lot of walls painted red, ceilings painted red. There were all sorts of strange things that had been done before I owned it – it had been a commune. It was not very good.’
The staircase is exceptional and is positioned in a well lit hallway that has a lovely antique clock
The sun drenched lounge room is the perfect place to kick back and relax
Sadly Susan soon discovered that not everyone shared her passion for the baronial life: ‘When I moved here, I had my mother with me, I had my ex-partner, I had friends who came to live with me for a while.
‘After they had all left – they’d had enough, it was too quiet and they went off to towns – it became too big.’
The plans show the mammoth scale of the castle which has 45 rooms and would be perfect for a big family
The owner has defended the property insisting that while it had previously been on the market for a long time that before she decided to raffle it that there is nothing wrong with it.
She added: ‘What I didn’t realise is people look and say: ‘It’s been on sale for a long time, there must be something wrong with it.’
‘But there isn’t anything wrong with it. There’s nearly always a buyer on the horizon, or someone trying to do something with it.
‘The whole of the building is in good condition, including the roof. And it’s really beautiful inside.’