Well they do say and Englishman’s home is his castle: historic Anglo Saxon manor in Staffordshire is on the market for £3 million (now where did I put that wimple!)
Dating from the 13th century, Caverswall Castle was rebuilt in the 1600s as a Jacobean mansion with 18 bedrooms and was once the home of the Wedgwood family
Now we're not suggesting for a moment that £3 million isn't a huge sum of money, but when you consider that it could buy you a real-life bona fide castle with a moat - a MOAT we hear you cry! - then it actually seems rather reasonable.
It seems even more reasonable when you consider that the same amount of money will buy you a mere four-bedroom house in Clapham, London.
A very nice house, mind you. But still... here at H2H HQ we'd be cashing in our Oyster Card faster than you can say 'lower the drawbridge', thank you very much.
But we digress. Caverswall Castle in Staffordshire really is the stuff that little girls' dreams are made on.
Covering 20,000 square feet and with 18 bedrooms - including the illustriously named Regal Suite, Knights Suite and the Knaves Suite - the property dates back to yonder Anglo Saxon times when a certain Ernulf de Hesing (they don't name 'em like that anymore!) is believed to have dwelled beneath the turrets.
It wasn't until 1275 that Sir William de Caverswall gave his name to the property and built the moat and the keep that still lend the castle its arresting facade.
Since then the castle has undergone a number of incarnations; most notably in 1615 when it passed into the hands of Matthew Cradock, the Mayor of Stafford, who remodelled the, by then, decaying castle as a Jacobean manor house.
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The castle has remained largely untouched since then, save a few alterations including the rather impressive decorative gardens created by Sir Percival Radcliffe in the 19th century and the beautiful Wedgwood ceiling in the library - a legacy from the Wedgwood family who lived at Caverswall during the 1880s.
Other notable inhabitants (and when we say inHABITants, we, um, really do mean it!) also included an order of Benedictine nuns, who took sanctuary at Caverswall during the French Revolution, and parliamentary forces during the Civil War in the 1640s.
More recently, property tycoon Robin MacDonald bought the castle eight years ago for £1.7 million and has spent much of that time lovingly restoring it to its former Jacobean glory.
As can be seen from the pictures here, the interiors are notably traditional in style and feature oak panelling from the 1600s throughout as well as carved sandstone fireplaces and an oak staircase.
But our favourite artefact has to be the medieval suit of armour. Let's hope that's included on the list of items the vendor is prepared to include in the price! Not that we'll be able to afford it any time soon mind...
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