Fit for royalty: Couple build a castle home with their very own moat – but it’s taken them 10 years to complete
- A Tasmanian couple have built their own mini-castle over almost a decade
- Owner Christina Kent said they had no idea the project would take so long
- They hope to live in the castle within three to four years once the roof is finished
A couple have built their own medieval mansion – but it’s taken them more than 10 years to complete.
Tasmanian couple Christina Kent and Francis Shepherd designed the 17-metre home with their own moat over a decade ago.
The home, named Castle Phoenix, sits on an old apple orchid at Geeveston, south-west of Hobart which the couple purchased after they moved from Queensland 14 years ago.
The 17-metre tall home named ‘Castle Phoenix’ has been slowly constructed over 10 years
The castle has been built using a series of columns made out of brick, features walls with a weaving design and has its own moat
The couple told The Mercury they had built the castle almost entirely by themselves and hope to move in within three to four years’ time.
Ms Kent said they never prepared for how long the project would take and had they known they may have never started it.
‘You have to have an element of naivety to start a project like this – if you thought about it too much you’d never go through with it,’ she said.
The castle has been built using a series of columns made out of brick and features walls with a weaving design and even had its own moat.
The coupe said they had built the castle almost entirely by themselves and hope to move in within three to four years’ time
The couple said they had no idea the project would take so long. Pictured are the early stages of the construction
The couple, who are both professional artists, said they stayed focused over the decade by breaking down the workload into individual tasks.
Ms Kent said her partner was laid off during the pandemic but it has given them much more time to work on their fortress.
‘We’ve got a moat, and we’re not afraid to use it,’ she said.
Mr Shepherd (pictured) said he was continually amazed that they were able to build their own castle with little assistance
The couple are now halfway through building the third floor and will soon start on the roof before moving onto the interior furnishings.
Mr Shepherd said he was continually amazed at what they had accomplished.
‘The back of the castle is actually more interesting than the front. I look at it and that’s when it strikes me ‘wow, we did that we’re building a castle that’s crazy’.’ he said.
The couple are now halfway through building the third floor and will soon start on the roof before moving onto the interior furnishings. Pictured is the building during early construction