luxury fantastical castles, towers and follies
Curious travellers seeking exotica and escapism need venture no further than these fair green isles, where mysterious dwellings hide down sweeping drives and await your grand arrival.
Time travel back to the era of English Romanticism, when creative spirit soared and formal traditions went by the wayside, and take up residence in a building designed for aesthetic pleasure. In this wonderland of eccentricity, ornamental 'follies' (a word stolen from the French language meaning 'foolishness') manifest as towers within the grounds of stately homes, or crumbling castles in miniature.
For those who seek historical grandeur, Britain's Napoleonic forts have been reimagined, Poldarkian stack houses and glamorous old castles breathed new life into. This may be the ultimate fairytale collection, but Arabian horses and shining knights can steer clear for there'll be no rescuing required here. In fact, you'll want to turn the lock and throw the key in the moat.
Castle Trematonia
Antony Passage, Tamar Valley, Cornwall, UK
Fantastical, extravagant and sublimely positioned at the edge of Cornwalls luscious Tamar Valley, pass through the gates of Castle Trematonia and enter a world of pure imagination.
Sleeps: Up to 18 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 10 guests
From: £7,995 per week, £7,995 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Outdoor natural pool (available May - September), pool house, sauna, indoor skate ramp, fire pit, ping pong table, football goals and trampoline
Castle Trinity
A luxury self-catering homestay for extended families and large parties, Castle Trinity is an exclusive kingdom of ritzy indulgence near the Peak District.
Sleeps: Sleeps up to 10
From: £6,995 per week, £5,250 per short break
Pets: Two small well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Heated indoor swimming pool, wellness and yoga room, outdoor hot tub, gym and pool table. Masseuse available by prior arrangement.
Aria
Crowcombe, The Quantock Hills, Somerset, UK
A cubic zinc build at the edge of Somerset's Quantock Hills, Aria is a luxury architectural home with a curated edge and woodfired hot tub set between olive trees in Crowcombe.
Sleeps: Up to 8 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 & Up to 2 guests
From: £3,150 per week, £2,395 per short break
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Features: Wood-fired hot tub
Saffron Tower
Beaumaris, Isle of Anglesey, Wales, UK
Standing watch from the corner of a beautiful walled garden, Saffron Tower is a true wellness retreat where couples can indulge in a spa-like experience on the Anglesey coast.
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests
From: £1,995 per week, £1,395 per short break
Pets: Two medium well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Heated indoor pool, hot tub, sauna, gym with running machine, Echelon Exercise bike, Hydrow rowing machine, weights, yoga mats and portable air conditioning unit
The Stack
Lying within a secluded valley, with far-reaching pastoral views, The Stack is a luxury self-catering engine house with a hot tub, rustic interiors and beautiful gardens.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests (4 adults and 2 children)
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
From: £1,995 per week, £1,495 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome, or three on prior request
Features: Sunken hot tub, cinema room, al fresco kitchen with pizza oven
Found Tower
Bawdsey, Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK
For a unique escape like no other, whisk the party away to this cutting-edge designed Martello tower house set on the shores of the Suffolk coast in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
From: £2,395 per week, £1,795 per short break
Pets: Three well-behaved dogs are welcome. Other pets accepted on prior request.
Features: Grand piano, firepit and rooftop terrace
Castle on the Well
South Molton, Exmoor, Devon, UK
Fusing authentic lodge appeal with an unexpected stately twist, Castle on the Well is a luxury fortress on the edge of Exmoor National Park in the rolling Devonshire countryside.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 4 & Up to 2 guests
From: £1,995 per week, £1,495 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome on prior request
Features: Fire pit
The Summer Folly
Grimsthorpe, Bourne, Lincolnshire, UK
The final creation of architect Sir John Vanbrugh in the 1720s (who also built Blenheim Castle), The Summer Folly is a curious retreat in rural Lincolnshire.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
From: £1,850 per week, £1,450 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Cinema snug, petanque lawn, croquet, badminton
The Walled Garden
Dyrham, Bath, The Cotswolds, UK
Perhaps the most ornate vegetable store in all of England, The Walled Garden began life as a potato house for Dyrham Park in Bath before becoming a luxury Cotswolds garden stay.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
From: £1,895 per week, £1,395 per short break
Pets: One small well-behaved dog is welcome
Features: Fire pit, use of the owners´ tennis court and use of the owners´ natural outdoor pool (pool available between 8am and midday, outside of these times available on prior agreement)
Thornemead Castle
Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, UK
Be Lord of the Manor at this 240-year-old gothic castle set within manicured lawns and wildflower meadows within walking distance of the Somerset coast.
Sleeps: Up to 10 guests (+3 children)
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 guests
From: £3,395 per week, £2,550 per short break
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Features: Hot tub hire is available (please enquire for details), billiard table, football table, lawn for croquet, badminton and volley ball, outdoor tennis table, library, Kadai fire bowl and pizza oven.
Dragonwood Boat House
A unique, romantic space Dragonwood Boat House is a traditional Victorian home with an Italian twist, sitting pretty on the water near Oakham in Rutland.
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests
From: £1,395 per week, £995 per short break
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Features: Kayaks, well-stocked fishing lakes
Florin
Aberaeron, Ceredigion, Wales, UK
A luxury country house set in five acres of magical gardens near Aberaeron in Ceredigion, Florin is a castle-style home with a hot tub and library, made for big gatherings in Wales.
Sleeps: Up to 14 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 10 & Up to 8 guests
From: £3,995 per week, £2,995 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome, a third is welcome on prior request
Features: Hot tub, treehouse for children, library with pool table, modern garden house with pizza oven
Cadence
A 1970s sci-fi film was the unlikely inspiration for architect-owned retreat Cadence; an award-winning luxury country house in pretty Petworth, on West Sussex's poetic South Downs.
Sleeps: Up to 10 guests
From: £5,495 per week
Pets: Two well-behaved pets are welcome
Rhapsody
A utopia of surreal garden sculptures, topsy-turvy architecture and glass-like pools, Rhapsody has fallen head first through the rabbit hole and landed in the heart of Wonderland.
Sleeps: Up to 12 (10 adults and 2 children)
From: £12,495 per week, £9,995 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Outdoor heated swimming pool (late April - September), with jet stream, sunken hot tub, yoga studio, glass reading room overhanging the pond, cinema room, games room (with pool table, darts, table tennis and table football)
Avalon Manor
Upton Scudamore, Wiltshire, UK
Superb 14th-century large self-catering Manor House in Wiltshire. Stylish and historic, it's the perfect luxury country house.
Sleeps: Up to 12 guests (+ 2 children)
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 guests
From: £3,695 per week, £2,795 per short break
Pets: One well-behaved dog is welcome (aged two and above)
Features: Games room, mini gym and tree house for children, cedar hot tub, outdoor woodfired BBQ and pizza oven.
The Lost Music Hall
Created by a London dandy as a secret retreat from society, The Lost Music Hall is a luxury Arts and Crafts manor with a pool in a hidden valley near Totnes, in Devon's South Hams.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 & Up to 12 guests
From: £1,995 per week, £1,595 per short break
Pets: Two pets are welcome
Features: Heated outdoor swimming pool (May-September) and games room with table tennis and darts
The Signal Station
Up on the cliffs of Cornwalls wild Lizard Peninsula, The Signal Station is a luxury maritime home with a rooftop terrace, built in 1872 as a beacon of safety for passing vessels.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 4 & Up to 2 guests
From: £2,250 per week, £1,695 per short break
Pets: Two small well-behaved dogs are welcome
