Castle cheaper than downtown condo
Someone bought an Irish castle that was featured on Game of Thrones for the price of a two-bedroom condo in Vancouver.
Gosford Castle, a mid-17th century castle in Northern Ireland, is off the market after being listed for £500,000 ($869,491 Cdn), roughly the same price as an 835-squarefoot downtown condo on Smithe Street currently listed at $868,000.
The castle was featured on HBO’s Game of Thrones where it served as the set of Riverrun, one of the great houses of the Seven Kingdoms.
The condo, built in 2006, is just steps away from a Tim Hortons and a Boston Pizza.
According to Maison Real Estate, Gosford Castle was designed in the Norman Revival style by London architect Thomas Hopper and was occupied by the Earls of Gosford until 1921.
The condo, built by Bosa Properties in 2006, includes parking and in-suite storage.
“During the Second World War the Castle was commandeered and used to accommodate troops and a prisoner-of-war camp was set up in the estate,” the castle listing said. “Following the war, the Achesons sold the Castle to the Ministry of Agriculture who established the 590-acre demesne as Gosford Forest Park, which was later designated Northern Ireland’s first conservation forest in 1986. The castle fell back into military use during The Troubles before being run as a hotel from 1983.”
The condo is pet-friendly (with restrictions).
The castle boasts 15 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms. It has no heat, however, other than those grand fireplaces. So that’s a point in favour of the Smithe Street condo.
“In 2006, the castle was bought by Gosford Castle Development Ltd., who put forward a £4-million proposal to restore the Grade A-listed building into 23 luxury residences. The restoration was undertaken by artisans and craftsmen with a focus on retaining the character and historic integrity of the castle,” reads the Maison sales brochure.
The condo looks like it has granite countertops.
The portion of the castle that was for sale has been partly developed with a view to convert the space into six luxury apartments, each with an average space of 3,500 square feet.
The condo building has its own exercise centre.