The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Medieval castle and pool is a bargain at just £1.5m
Property: North-east family home, with chapel, now in need of new laird
A 16th-Century castle near Banff has been put up for sale for £1.5 million.
Castle of Park, near Cornhill, is an eightbedroom family home with swimming pool, currently offered up as self-catering accommodation and a wedding venue.
It is open to new owners now, as Rebecca Campbell-Wilson, who bought the castle alongside her late husband Neil in 2007, prepares to move on to pastures new with her three children.
Anyone with the asking price could become the new laird of the iconic pink castle, which features two large reception rooms, eight bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a great hall, drawing room, two dining rooms, billiard room and a chapel.
The castle has been sympathetically furnished, with many of the rooms paying homage to its history.
It has been offered as a self-catering holiday home and exclusive use venue for the past four years, with the great hall and its open fireplace, intricate panelling and medieval painted ceiling proving a particularly popular choice for hosting private parties. The Grade A-listed property, offered by Knight Frank, is situated on the Park Estate, which was originally part of the Royal Forest of Banff and was granted by King Alexander II to Norman knight Sir Walram de Normanville in 1242.
The four-floor harled castle is believed to have foundations which date back to the 13th Century, but was rebuilt into a Z-plan tower house in 1536.
In the 1700s, a range of extensions was added, turning it from a fortified house into a grand Georgian country mansion, before a Gothic tower was added in 1829.
There’s also a twobedroom flat on the top floor, which the Campbell-Wilson family uses as its primary residence.
In addition, there are grounds stretching across 36 acres and a pavilion, added in 2018, included in the sale.
Those grounds include sweeping lawns and ponds as well as woodland walks and grazing pasture.
There’s also a labyrinth, a rose garden, a croquet lawn and a large walled garden with an orchard, together with a triple garage, potting shed and a dual propulsion endless swimming pool in its own enclosure.
The events and sporting pavilion, built in 2018, offers a large function room, kitchen and three toilets.
It is currently used for events including weddings, ceilidhs, conferences and meetings.
Mrs Campbell-Wilson, 52, is a retired accountant and runs an open water swim club on the nearby Moray coast.
“In the 1700s, a range of extensions was added”