Yahoo Finance One of England's last castles with a moat on the market for £5 million
One of the last castles in England that is surrounded by a moat has been put on the market for £5 million.
Caverswall is a Grade I-listed building dating to the 13th century – and will cost the new owner about £12,000 a year in energy and water bills.
Controversial property tycoon Robin MacDonald, 46, bought the crumbling ruin near Stoke-on-Trent, for £1.7 million in 2006.
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In 2014, he put the castle on the market for £3 million saying he wanted to “downsize”. But he was unable to find a buyer and is now trying again through estate agents Pennycuick Collins.
Richard Moxon, commercial partner, said: “This castle is a rare and remarkable opportunity for any investor.
“The property has been used as a home and as an event venue previously and there is vast potential for the castle.”
As well as a moat, the three-turret castle boasts 18 bedrooms, nine reception rooms, 13 bathrooms, billiard room, dungeon and a library.
In August 2014, MacDonald was fined £17,000 and ordered to pay almost £100,000 when he admitted breaching an abatement order.
Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard MacDonald staged large parties, including team building exercises, weddings and firework displays in the 20-acres of grounds of the 20,000 sq ft castle.
The castle’s earliest recorded owner was Emuf de Hesing, before being passed to Sir William de Caverswall who incorporated the tributaries to form the moat. Sir William then built the towers within the outer walls of the castle.
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The castle fell into decay until 1625 when the mayor of Stafford, Matthew Cradock, and a wealthy merchant bought and rebuilt it as a Jacobean mansion.
The great tower was retained along with its walls and turrets, which then became garden pavilions.
During the English Civil War, the castle was used as a garrison by parliamentary forces before later becoming a sanctuary to an order of Benedictine nuns who had escaped the French Revolution.
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Sir Percival Radcliffe owned the castle in the middle of the 19th century and drained the moat, creating stunning gardens.
The Wedgwood family, famed for their pottery empire, lived at Caverswall during the 1880s and added the decorative library ceiling.
