Everything's gone quite at The Castle. But that may soon change.
What's not happened? The trust, formed to search for grants to conserve the castle curtain walls, seems to have disappeared, to have evaporated. Meanwhile, the temporary work undertaken to stabilise the walls was wasted, as ivy is again growing.
Since at least Christmas, the Saint Claires have offered the Castle for sale. It's all very hush-hush but we understand that they have buyers, ex-patriot Hong Kongese, who are willing to invest significantly. They aren't short of a penny or two and they will need to have deep pockets. It's possible that over the winter the Castle will close for a major refurbishment to a five star facility. Whether the funding will include the curtain walls remains to be seen but that's unlikely.
Meanwhile, reports are that the food at the hotel has quickly gone down hill.
Netting placed over the vulnerable entrance tower has recently been cut by glass from the tower's window. The glass has fallen out and protrudes precariously above the road. Though reported to the Castle, no one seems to want to take immediate responsibility. And other parts of the walls are again collapsing.
Also, sometime between last night and this morning, a rock from the same structure landed on Castle Street.
The castle was also put on the market by the Saint Claires in 2008, for around £5.5m. It's currently valued at £2.5m.
What's not happened? The trust, formed to search for grants to conserve the castle curtain walls, seems to have disappeared, to have evaporated. Meanwhile, the temporary work undertaken to stabilise the walls was wasted, as ivy is again growing.
Since at least Christmas, the Saint Claires have offered the Castle for sale. It's all very hush-hush but we understand that they have buyers, ex-patriot Hong Kongese, who are willing to invest significantly. They aren't short of a penny or two and they will need to have deep pockets. It's possible that over the winter the Castle will close for a major refurbishment to a five star facility. Whether the funding will include the curtain walls remains to be seen but that's unlikely.
Meanwhile, reports are that the food at the hotel has quickly gone down hill.
Not the best picture but glass at the bottom of the netting is slicing through
Netting placed over the vulnerable entrance tower has recently been cut by glass from the tower's window. The glass has fallen out and protrudes precariously above the road. Though reported to the Castle, no one seems to want to take immediate responsibility. And other parts of the walls are again collapsing.
Also, sometime between last night and this morning, a rock from the same structure landed on Castle Street.
The castle was also put on the market by the Saint Claires in 2008, for around £5.5m. It's currently valued at £2.5m.
Tags:
Castle