English Farmhouse Disguised as a Castle Is Actually a 300-Year-Old Garden Folly

Three hundred or so years ago, the fashion for owners of large English country estates was to have the landscaping around their great houses look natural. But not too natural! Great designers such as Capability Brown rushed to help them, creating long lawns, ponds where they hadn’t been before, sweeping open vistas, and surrounding woods. The effect, known as the Landscape Style, was naturalistic rather than natural.

Proponents of the Landscape Style additionally popularized the use of extra, often fantastical and sometimes impractical structures. Objects of beauty and other “agreeable retreats” — classical temples, viewing towers, grottos, fake ruins, and the like — were added to the landscape to serve as eye-catchers among the carefully crafted naturalistic surroundings.

Some say less is more but at the great house Stowe, in Buckinghamshire, less than 90 miles outside central London, the thinking was clearly more is so much better. Among the many eye-catchers by various eminent architects are a Grecian temple, a grotto, a Gothic temple, a Chinese house, a Palladian bridge, the “Temple of Friendship,” a fake shepherd’s hut, a pyramid, and numerous statues of Saxon gods.

Set inside the old deer park and initially used by the estate’s gamekeeper as a residence, there was also a fake castle. Built in 1738, the V-shaped structure sports rubble stone walls and battlements with four square corner towers. The house is widely attributed to architect James Gibbs.

Now, as a separate property from Stowe House, Stowe Castle is for sale asking a cool $5.4 million. Set on 1.78 acres, the 4,100-square-foot folly includes five bedrooms and five bathrooms. Listing agents are Edward Welton, Damian Gray, and Will Collins at Knight Frank; and Hugh Maconochie and Nick Rudge at Savills.

The faux castle retains many of its period features, including segmental arches, two large ogee arched doorways with beautiful solid oak doors, an ornate marble fireplace, old flagstone flooring, numerous window seats, integrated shutters and decorative cornicing. The modern world steps in with the contemporary kitchen, with complete Aga range and butcher block-topped island; also on this level are dining and drawing rooms, both with fireplaces, and a family room. Among the five en-suite bedrooms on the upper floor is the main bedroom and its dressing room.

A 2,700-square-foot separate structure, a party barn, boasts two sitting rooms, a to-die-for playroom, a full kitchen, and a billiards room with a bar. There’s also a bedroom with private bath. Behind the house and perfect as staff quarters, is yet another building with a kitchen, living room and en-suite bedroom.

Outside, there is a lawn with well maintained beech, laurel and hawthorn hedging and plenty of mature shade trees. At the rear of the house, there is an attractive stone pergola and a paddock for horses. There’s even a helipad for quick trips to London.

Hugh Maconochie, Savills Country Department, comments: “Stowe is an extremely rare opportunity to own your own castle in the Home Counties, overlooking grounds designed by one of Britain’s most iconic landscape architects.

“Designed as an eye-catcher for Stowe House, Stowe Castle does indeed have castellations, but what is hidden on the other side of its imposing walls is actually a beautifully designed and liveable family home – it’s an unusual mixture of architecture, but at the same time it’s very beautiful.”