OT: Buy A Castle, Become a Baron

[Bran Blackbyrd]

eBay auction for Scottish "Lee Castle"

Along with the castle you get the title of Baron or Baroness. You also get the right to register a family tartan, motto and coat of arms.
Not too shabby if you have the cash.

Baron Peter of Lee loved the place so much that when he died in 2002, he had his heart buried there in a lead casket.
I don't think it has a dungeon, but it has a heated indoor swimming pool and a jacuzzi.

Edit: More pictures here.
The plaid room with the bar looks excellent.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Thanks, Bran Blackbyrd!

That's a real service you've done for the community, and I am surprised that more here haven't taken a look, expressed gratitude.

If I had a bankroll in the neighborhood of $50 million or more, I'd put in a bid in a flash. The place has to be very expensive to maintain, and likely taxes are huge too. Still, the buildings looks grand, would be enjoyable to live in, roaming the grounds a joy, and what fun it would be to invite groups of gamers over to your castle to play for a weekend

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Krieg]

There was a thread about this not too long ago...but the additional info & pics are nice!

 

[Morrus]

Wouldn't it be fantastic to own somewhere like that? Even winning the lottery wouldn't help, though.

 

[Knightcrawler]

Interesting I thought the Britsh had stopped selling titles. Very cool though. Would love to own that. But your right the upkeep alone would probably be at least $200,000 per year and thats not even talking about servants and groundskeepers.

 

[Knightcrawler]

Ooops just found this on the website...

"Titles of nobility cannot be bought and sold. In Britain the law permits a title of nobility to be passed outside the bloodline if it is part of a Scottish Feudal Barony. The titles are conveyed simultaneously with the sale of the Barony to its new owner of record. These laws still recognized by the State, have their roots in the 12th century."

Wonder if the place has a well stocked wine cellar.

 

[Knightcrawler]

Hmmm property taxes of only 2,500 punds UK, not bad, not bad. Wow it has internet (high-speed I think), security cameras, a helicopter pad, backup uninterruptible powersupply and a secret room.

 

[Krieg]

Wouldn't it be fantastic to own somewhere like that? Even winning the lottery wouldn't help, though.

Well the newer multi-state lotteries in the US (Poweball & Mega Millions) regularly produce winnings of 100M+, so it isn't entirely outside of the realm of possibility.

BTW according to the British Embassy ...

"The sale of British titles is prohibited by the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act, 1925. However, misleading advertisements for lordships of manors sometimes appear in the media and on the internet. A manorial lordship is not an aristocratic title, but a semi-extinct form of landed property. Lordship in this sense is a synonym for ownership. According to John Martin Robinson, Maltravers Herald Extraordinary and co-author of The Oxford Guide to Heraldry, 'Lordship of this or that manor is no more a title than Landlord of the Dog and Duck.' It cannot be stated on a passport, and does not entitle the owner to a coat of arms. "

For the record as an American I find the idea of US citizens with European Noble titles quite distasteful.


FWIW a bit more info on Lee HERE.

John Travolta's name has been linked with the purchase of a Scottish castle. The American film star is rumoured to have viewed Lee Castle in South Lanarkshire with a mind to buying it. There is speculation that he wants to turn the historic building into a centre for Scientology, the religion that Travolta has long supported and promoted.

*shudder*

 

[Morrus]

Hmmm property taxes of only 2,500 punds UK, not bad, not bad. Wow it has internet (high-speed I think), security cameras, a helicopter pad, backup uninterruptible powersupply and a secret room.

Now all it needs is a batcave!

 

[Col_Pladoh]

As a fair rule of thumb figure 10% of what you pay for a place will need to go into it yearly for taxes and upkeep.

One would need staff at that place for sure. I should think a gardener, and a groundsman for the land; a handiman for general upkeep and repair work. Household staff of a butler, housekeeper, cook, and a maid gets one to a minimum of seven. The payroll is going to be a hefty one as slim as the staff numbers are, likely more than a quarter million annually with insurance and taxes.

Assuming the place sells at around $15 million, the annual nut to keep it going will be $2 million give or take. That's not aproblem if you have $50 million salted away earning income for you. that way you can spend most ofyour time enjoying your estate

Cheers,
Gary