A mega Grand Designs project to build a modern “castle” in Wixford, near Stratford-upon-Avon, has sparked a backlash after a number of locals voiced objections to the structure – believed to be the biggest ever seen on the show.
The project in Wixford, Warwickshire has been likened to a “prison”, a “multi-storey car park” and “a perversion”. Host Kevin McCloud also half-joked that you would have to be “out of your mind” to take on a build of such a scale.
At 11,000 square feet, it is twice the size of the previous largest home featured on the show, a single-storey build in Colgate, West Sussex in 2015.
The couple behind it are entrepreneur Piers and police officer Emma. The first thing that raised eyebrows was the demolition of the existing building, a 17th-century folly, which had later been adapted into an arts and crafts-style home, but which was in a state of disrepair.
In its place, the plans included a replacement tower complete with battlements and arrow slits – albeit in a modern design. This included a one-sided “moat”, a basement pool, a “very large garage”, and a separate lakeside office.
“So you are knocking down a fake castle to build a fake castle?” McCloud asks the couple.
“No,” says Piers, “It’s a 21st-century castle”.
After buying the old castle for £1.4m because the prospect of the current owner building 60 homes on the site threatened their existing house, they initially planned to spend a further £2m on the new build.
Despite inviting Channel 4 to film their progress, Piers was wary of public reaction to the plans. “I try not to tell people what I’m doing, because it sounds grand and very eccentric and I think people will think I’m a bit of a d***.”
Even before the demolition gets underway, the programme hinted at local concerns.
“The local villagers have their pitchforks out,” McCloud says.
“I’m absolutely aghast,” one resident told the programme. “I can’t believe that they would be demolishing such a lovely building.”
“I’m devastated,” said another. “Whatever comes in its place it’s going to be a hard task to follow.”
This doesn’t bother our intrepid builders, though. “It’s a horrible-looking building,” Piers says about the folly. “And it’s pebble-dashed.”
The bulldozers move in and it is reduced to rubble.
Slowly the new building grows upwards as major and minor issues are overcome. Meanwhile, the budget also spirals, ramping up to £5m by the end of the episode.
Sadly, viewers don’t get to see the completed castle. It is not yet finished, as Piers suggests it still requires another million pounds to complete. And those figures don’t include the initial £1.4m for the site.
“We’ve put everything into this, hearts, souls, and financially as well,” Emma says.
The episode ends with McCloud vowing to return and see the couple living in their finished castle – however this now seems to be in doubt as the castle has now been put up for sale.
It is listed with Sotheby’s Realty for £7.95m, with the listing saying it is “set for final completion in 2025”.
According to the Daily Mail, a small group of villagers watched the episode of Grand Designs in the village hall. Jo Broadrick, 63, told the paper: “A lot of people around here have very strong opinions about the place. Some say it looks like a prison, whereas most people say it’s like a car park.
“A few of us got together to watch Grand Designs in the village hall on a big screen last night. We all took a bottle of wine or a few beers and made a night of it.”
Another, who asked not to be named, told the Mail: “It’s a vanity project. It's the most disgusting vainglorious thing I’ve ever seen.”
However, retired firefighter Chris Broadrick was much more positive. “It certainly makes a statement,” he said. “If I had the money, I would like to have bought it. I think it’s great.”
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