Wanted: knight in shining armour to rescue a fortress in distress. A quirky four-bedroom castle has been put on the market in New Zealand for the decidedly plebeian sum of £200,000.
The unique property – dubbed Castle Glatisaunt – was built in the 1970s by a draughtsman with a passion for all things gothic, who took no prisoners in constructing his dream home.
It sits in a Wellington suburb, surrounded by thick native bush, and features a drawbridge, moat, turrets, battlements and a secret room that is accessed through a cupboard. Several suits of armour, swords, shields and chainmail will be included as part of the purchase price.
“Judging by the level of interest it seems that quite a few people would like to live in a castle, or have always dreamed of living in a castle and just haven’t had the means to do it,” said Mike Robbers from Lowe & Co Realty.
“This is the first castle I have sold, I don’t think there are many castles around,” added Robbers, whose posting on local auction site TradeMe has received 30,000 views in four days.
The online posting plays up to the house’s eccentricities, advertising the property as having a “large deck perfect for launching dragons”, an “awesome position to look out over your empire” and a “garage for two carriages”.
“Has seen its fair share of battles, in need of repairs,” it says, listing the home’s features as “moat, drawbridge, turrets, secret room, en suite.”
The castle is expected to sell for about NZ$395,000 (£200,000) at auction at the end of the month, and despite having no square rooms and a few “quirky” features, Robbers said it functioned well as a family home and was not wholly impractical.
“With Game of Thrones at the moment the whole gothic theme is on trend,” said Robbers. “I thought it would be a niche product but there has turned out to be a lot of people into this niche.”
Those who had expressed interest in the property included artists and creatives, experienced renovators, and some keen to let it out on Airbnb.
