6. 14th-century French chateau
Location: Laruns, Pyrenees-Atlantiques, France
Price: $677,437 | Property Site
Henry IV, who became the King of France in 1589, once used this castle as a hunting lodge. It is also famous in the area for being the secret doorway to a tunnel that leads to a nearby village of Laruns where the original entrance of the castle was. Built in the 14th century, this French chateau was a defense structure which is now a residential home. Even though it has a modern touch, it retains features from the past like mullion windows, a stone staircase, carved doors, and a coat of arms.
It has seven bedrooms, two reception rooms, and four bathrooms. It has an open land of 2.8 hectares bordered by the hills and comes with a garage and a swimming pool.
7. Calgary Castle
Location: Isle of Mull, Scotland
Price: $874,868 | Property Site
Calgary Castle had its first section built in the 1700s with the extensions made to it in the early 19th century by a merchant navy captain named Alan MacAskill. It’s gothic style windows, angled turrets, and other periodic features make it look like an elegant piece of history. Overlooking Calgary Bay, the castle has ten bedrooms, seven bathrooms, five reception rooms, a library, a garage, a boiler room, and a walled garden. It is surrounded by 27.9 acres of wooded gardens and rare, exotic trees.
Colonel James MacLeod of the Canadian Northwest Mounted Police once stayed at the castle and fell in love with it so much that he renamed Fort Brisebois in Alberta as “Fort Calgary” which later was known as the city of Calgary. The house has played host to distinguished guests like the former governor-general of Canada, John Buchan, when it was owned by the Profumos (John and Philip Profumo) and is a secluded, idyllic home.
8. Castle at Beaver Dam
Location: Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, U.S.
Price: $929,500 | Property Site
Modern from the inside and medieval-looking from the outside, this custom-built castle at Beaver Dam has over 8,000 square feet of living space built on 37 acres of land and is storm-proof. With four bedrooms, four bathrooms, and many other dedicated spaces, the two-storied castle was built recently in 2008 based on the designs from the past. Most castles are found in countries like England, Ireland, Scotland, France, etc. Hearing of one in the United States is unusual. A couple, Tom and Janet Buska who wanted to build a country home, decided to build a castle instead. It mimics the 14th-century motte-and-bailey fortification in which a trench is dug and the mud from that is used to make a small hill on which a timber fort is built. But the couple said that they have not modeled it after any specific castle.
While building the castle, the mysteries of centuries-old castles were also added to it. It has secret rooms, secret passageways, rooftop terraces, and a suit of armor that comes along with it. It also has a tree farm, a garden, rolling terrain, large water decorations, and dog kennels.
9. Dinton Castle
Location: Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire, South East England
Price: $1.06 million | Property Site
Dinton Castle that looks like a defense tower was built to be a place to house a man’s fossil collection in the 18th century. It was an ornamental building and not an actual castle until a Spanish architect, Jimmy Fernandez and his wife Mimi, bought the place and turned it into a habitable family home. The three-floored castle is built in an octagonal shape, has a spiral staircase, and an exposed stone and brickwork that is reminiscent of the past. The spiral staircase leads to a roof terrace which offers stunning views of the castle’s peaceful surroundings.
The surrounding acre around the castle has been planted with trees like mature oak, Scots pine, beech, and holly trees. Inside the castle, they have a ceiling-high bookcase that has wheels and serves as a movable wall. The price of Dinton castle is double that of the properties in the same area but none of them have a history like it.
10. Castle Rennes
Location: South Rennes, France
Price: $1.08 million | Property Site
With six towers that remind you of Disney movies, the castle is located in hilly surroundings in a peaceful French village.
It has three floors and a basement, workshops, sheds, small outbuildings, study, living room, four bedrooms, a game room, and various garages. The castle that was built in the 15th century has its own pond, a vegetable garden, an orangery, and undisturbed meadows spread over an area of 13.34 acres. An additional 54 acres of woods which is a source of a spring and is adjacent to the castle can also be bought should you decide to live in this castle.
Also see:
10 Most Uninhabitable Places on Earth
15 Hauntingly Beautiful Yet Abandoned Places In The World
