Incredibly, these castle ruins are livable -- even luxurious
One look at Astley Castle and it looks almost like any other ruined ancient, English castle.
Almost.
It is part fort-castle, but it's also part modern luxury rental. Two contrasting brick exterior walls are distinctive for a reason: One wall is from hundreds of years ago, while the other, lighter brick wall was just installed in 2012. The wood-lined windows, too, hint at something more modern than ancient. A peek inside and the full, modern renovation is made clear. (Click here or on a photo for a slideshow.)
Astley Castle in North Warwickshire was actual ruins just a few years ago. A fire in 1978 had all but destroyed it; only a few sections of the building were standing, hunks of brick covered in weeds and moss.
But British building and cultural conservation charities the Landmark Trust and English Heritage, along with its owners, badly wanted to rescue it.
The Landmark Trust first attempted to save the building in the late 1990s, but no conventional restoration solution could be found. The cost of such an extensive rehab was hard to justify.
Then in 2007, after the English Heritage listed Astley as one of the most endangered historic properties in Britain, the Landmark Trust made a second attempt. It held a competition for the most inventive scheme to bring the building up to date -- and the winner, architecture firm Witherford Watson Mann, was entrusted to complete the project.
Witherford Watson Mann effectively kept the ruins, filled in the gaps and rebuilt the interior. What's left is something that looks entirely the way you'd expect a fortified centuries-old manor to look like, yet is stuffed with all the modern finishes. (Click here or on a photo for a slideshow of Astley Castle.)
The renovation marks a departure for the Trust, which has helped restore dozens of English historic sites and now rents them out. Typically the organization goes for period-specific restoration, but given the damage this site underwent, they opted instead for this unique combination.
The property includes a moated castle, gateway and curtain walls, a lake, Astley church, and what the current owners, the Landmark Trust, call "the ghost of pleasure gardens."
The cost to restore Astley figures around 2.5 million pounds ($3.8 million), according to the Guardian. Astley became the first house and first restoration project to receive the UK's prestigious Stirling prize.
It was turned into vacation lodging--a fitting callback to the castle's days in the 1960s as a hotel--and currently rents for about $1,400 for four nights, though it's booked up for years.
For those who can't book, the Landmark Preservation holds events for the public to enjoy and explore the castle.
Click here or on a photo for a slideshow of Astley Castle, resurrected from its own ruins.
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