A medieval-style castle in the middle of the Waikato is back on the market.
Ray White agent Gillian van der Veeken, who is marketing the five-level home on 39 Moxham Road, Te Awamutu, with Lisa McBeth, said that the original builders of the property were well-known in the area for their high concept properties.
The castle features a main house with a striking turret tower, another shed complete with shields and hand-forged steel hinges and huge gardens (although the original builders stopped at adding an actual moat). There are also lashings of modern comforts – a pool, summer house, an outdoor fireplace on the deck, a ladies’ shed and even an outdoor bathtub on the roof for romantic soaks.
The agent told OneRoof her vendor fell in love with the property back in 2018 when it first went on the market but missed out. She finally managed to secure it when it was sold in 2020, after being run as a stylish bed and breakfast, La Paloma Castle.
Start your property search
Read more:
- Court-ordered sale: 'Rough' house with leak sells for $501,000 amid bidding frenzy
- 'Everyone loves a do-up': Run-down Southland cottage sells for just over $70,000
- LVR rule changes: Will they end the housing market’s deep freeze?
“But she’s had a change of mind and is moving back home to Northland. She wanted something quirky and is happy to tell me that my marketing caught her eye back the first time,” van der Veeken said.
The original owners, brick layer Howard Bright and wife Helen – who brought the gardening skills and a stylish eye – built their castle, complete with battlements and a tower, in 2005 with the help of their family. Their three teenage boys, still living at home, worked on the tools, with one son, a cabinet maker, creating many of the hand-built details, van der Veeken said.
The Brights earlier told OneRoof of their original plan to build ‘ruins’ modelled on the 16th century Corse Castle in Scotland were stymied by consenting regulations, so they turned to an English-style castle instead.
Waipa Bricklayers boss Howard Bright put his heart and soul into the castle he started building in 2003, while Helen Bright created the 'brilliant' gardens. Photo / Supplied
A lot of the materials used to build the castle were recycled. Photo / Supplied
The couple has a passion for out-of-the-ordinary architecture. Previous homes were themed around English architecture, while another, which sold last year, had a French theme.
“Kiwis are very boring when it comes to their houses, but everyone is entitled to their own. With the castle – a lot of people love it, but a large portion of people are not brave enough to step outside the box,” Helen earlier said.
With the help of colleagues in the building trade, the castle was ready to live in in just nine months after laying the first brick. Van der Veeken said Helen’s garden, spreading over a generous 4980sqm, was “brilliant” – so good, in fact, that the pair hosted a garden party fundraiser for the local hospice as part of the marketing when the Brights sold the castle in 2018.
It took nine months to build the 337sqm tower house with a roof garden. Photo / Supplied
Many of the details were hand-made by friends and family. Photo / Supplied
“I guess it was a bit like a playhouse, a bit of a novelty. But after a few years of living there, you put all that aside and it just feels like home,” Bright said.
“We had a few people refer to it as a bomb shelter because when we first started, it was this big block of building that seemed to be going up and up and up. But at the end it all came together fine.”
The 337sqm home features recycled brick and timbers, flagstone floors in the open-plan kitchen and living area, and multiple other living areas and office. The internal access garage is currently used as a rumpus room, and the earlier bed-and-breakfast owners had converted a single garage into more accommodation.
The medieval styling extends to the three bathrooms - but with modern plumbing. Photo / Supplied
Gothic-style windows and block work continue the theme in the five-bedroom home. Photo / Supplied
Van der Veeken said she has already had interest in the property from around the country, as well as a number of locals. The property has a 2019 ratable value of $1.21 million and records show it sold in 2020 for $1.1m. The agent could not say what the price would be this time around.
“It’s for sale for price by negotiation, it’s hard to say where it will land."
But in her advertising she warns buyers: “Plan ahead, take your time in viewing this glorious substantial property and meander around the gardens. Be careful though – you may not want to leave.”
- Click here to see more of 39 Moxham Road, Te Awamutu
