# Anybody wanna buy a castle? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 22, 2002, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-wanna-buy-a-castle/138156 "2002-11-22T15:24:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-wanna-buy-a-castle/138156/1 "2002-11-22T15:24:54Z")
> [@](#): > > [eBay auction](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1784208543) > LORDSCAIRNIE CASTLE > > 15th Century Scottish stronghold > AN HISTORICAL TREASURE > > Lordscairnie Castle, an exceedingly rare example of late-medieval Scottish fortified castles, is one of the very last unaltered historic structures of its kind in the British Isles. A Scheduled Monument and B-Listed historic building, Lordscairnie is one of less than a handful of remaining medieval fortified houses that remain prime candidates for full restoration, as it is entirely unaltered from its original 15th-century architectural state. An imposing building in a wonderfully evocative setting, Lordscairnie represents an extremely rare opportunity for the owner to restore an unusually intact and nationally significant medieval residence to habitable condition. In addition to the primary castle building, Lordscairnie includes a small perimeter guard-house of the same period. > > Castles of this kind, in Scotland, are quite rare, and do not enter the public market more than once or twice each decade. Many similar buildings of the period are long gone, and as many have fallen into such grievous disrepair that a practical and economical restoration is no longer feasible. Still more have been altered substantially from their original form (in the days before government regulation), and are permanently erased from the historical record. It is thought, after extensive research into the architectural assets of Scotland, that Lordscairnie represents one of less than five superior candidates for restoration, and it is the only known structure of its kind currently on the market for public sale. > > Lordscairnie Castle’s extensive grounds include an 11-acre pond on the western perimeter of the property. The pond, a particularly bucolic aspect of the land, is the home to over 50 species of birds, and has been the subject of an extensive environmental study. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-wanna-buy-a-castle/138156/2 "2002-11-22T15:31:46Z")
bit of a fixer-upper ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-wanna-buy-a-castle/138156/3 "2002-11-22T16:03:06Z")
Actually, finding a castle on sale is quite easy (though probably not in e-bay, I suppose) . And these things are quite often cheap (relatively to their size, etc…). A lot of people could afford a castle (not necessarily an exceptionnal one, though, but an ordinary little castle somewhere in the countryside). And a lot of houses are more costly than a lot of castles. The issue with castles isn’t really to buy them, it’s their upkeep , which is usually extremely costly.Especially since the repairs/restorations in historical buildings are usually strictly regulated. Repairing the roof of your castle is likely to cost you much more than the price you paid to buy it at the first place. And without upkeep, your castle will quickly turn in an unlivable, or even dangerous, building. I know a castle owner who lives in a trailer, and as far as I can tell, essentially on welfare. She never found someone willing to buy the thing. And the more time pass, the more the building is degrading, and the less she’s likely to find someone interested. ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-wanna-buy-a-castle/138156/4 "2002-11-22T16:07:52Z")
I wonder if the moat comes with a monster or you have to buy your own? ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-wanna-buy-a-castle/138156/5 "2002-11-22T16:08:52Z")
Err… the castle in question is actually a _ruin_ clairo. No one could live there 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-wanna-buy-a-castle/138156/6 "2002-11-22T16:47:50Z")
I’d buy the thing, if it wasn’t so small. You can buy ruins in Ireland pretty cheap, though I don’t know what the laws are like on upkeep. I think it would be pretty cool to live in a castle, even if you do have to crap in the moat. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-wanna-buy-a-castle/138156/7 "2002-11-22T16:52:50Z")
It would be awesome if you had the money to restore it so you could live there. And it’s in Fife! That’s where my family is from. [This](http://gallery.opalcat.com/image%2dcache/Places%26Things/Europe%20%2d%202001/England%2dScotland/21%2dFernie%20Castle/ferniecastle2%5fdisp512.jpg) is the family castle, though it isn’t in the family anymore. It’s in Cupar, Fife. ---
**Author:** ![SwimmingRiddles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SwimmingRiddles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwimmingRiddles)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-wanna-buy-a-castle/138156/8 "2002-11-22T18:21:08Z")
Hey, let’s go in on it together. Like a timeshare in Palm Springs, but with less old people, and more Dopers! Let’s see, I have a spare $100. Which means I could have it for like 3 hours once a year. Nevermind. I just looked at the pictures. I might be hearty, but I like a roof on my timeshare. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-wanna-buy-a-castle/138156/9 "2002-11-22T18:37:41Z")
Nah… when it’s restored, it’ll be too dark and gloomy for me. A Renaissance palace in the South of France is more my style. ---
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-wanna-buy-a-castle/138156/10 "2002-11-22T19:22:07Z")
Heck, you could buy one right here in the good ol’ U.S. of A. It’s right down the road from where I sit now! [http://www.dupontcastle.com/castles/martin.htm](http://www.dupontcastle.com/castles/martin.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Serendipity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Serendipity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serendipity)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-wanna-buy-a-castle/138156/11 "2002-11-22T21:45:28Z")
> [@](#): > > Heck, you could buy one right here in the good ol’ U.S. of A. It’s right down the road from where I sit now! > > ``` > http://www.dupontcastle.com/castles/martin.htm > > ``` Oooh! It’s so pretty. [sub]I wish I was a princess and had a castle of my very own.[/sub] The story I had heard about this particular castle was that the owner/builder stopped working on it because his beloved wife died tragically and he was too broken-hearted to continue. That seems much more romantic than the facts as related on site above: that the owner and his wife simply divorced. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-wanna-buy-a-castle/138156/12 "2002-11-22T21:57:47Z")
That story, **Serendipity** , which seems to pop up about every “castle” (estate-sized house, particularly those with castellated battlements to evoke the classic castle feel) in America, is actually the case for [Bldt Castle](http://www.1000islands.com/castle/boldtcas.htm), built by the man who owned the Waldorf Astoria and stopped in mid-construction when she died. ---
**Author:** ![kirk280980](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c77e96/32.png) [@kirk280980](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kirk280980)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2002, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-wanna-buy-a-castle/138156/13 "2002-11-23T01:57:12Z")
What I would give to own a castle… definitely a house with character. The one I’ve got my eye on is Eilean Donach (sp?) Castle. It’s the one featured in either Highlander or Braveheart, can’t remember which. I’ve visited a couple of times now, and if I was filthy rich, I’d snap it up in an instant. The family who own it still live there, albeit in a separate house in the castle grounds. Best of all, it has proper toilets, so no need to plop in the loch! ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2002, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-wanna-buy-a-castle/138156/14 "2002-11-23T02:46:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Frankd6 \* > \*\*Heck, you could buy one right here in the good ol’ U.S. of A. It’s right down the road from where I sit now! > > [http://www.dupontcastle.com/castles/martin.htm](http://www.dupontcastle.com/castles/martin.htm) \*\* They took the FOR SALE sign down a while back. I think the thing looks kind of silly- a castle sitting next to a highway? And every so often one of the turrets blows down. Must be a pain to repair that. (Guess I’m not much of a romantic, huh.)