Dinton Castle facts for kids
Dinton Castle, also called Dinton Folly, is a cool old building in Buckinghamshire, England. It's located just north of the village of Dinton. Sir John Vanhattern built it in 1769. He wanted it to be a beautiful sight from his home, Dinton Hall. He even put his collection of fossils, like ammonites, right into the limestone walls!
This "castle" wasn't a real castle for knights and kings. It might have been used by servants from Dinton Hall in the 1800s. Some people also think it was a temporary meeting place for a local church group.
Dinton Castle is known as a "sham castle" or "folly" because it looks like a castle but wasn't built for defense. It has been a protected historical building since 1951. It has a unique shape with eight sides and round towers. For a long time, it was falling apart. In 2009, some repairs were done to make it safe again.
Bringing the Castle Back to Life
In 2012, Dinton Castle was sold to a new owner. At that time, it was still mostly a ruin. The castle is also located near an old Saxon burial ground. Over the years, people have found old artifacts and skeletons near the building.
Local Legends and a Hermit
There are local stories that say the castle is haunted by a man named John Bigg. He was known as the Dinton Hermit and died in 1696. In his later years, John Bigg lived in a cave on the property. Before that, he worked for Simon Mayne. Simon Mayne was one of the judges during the trial of King Charles I in 1649.
A New Beginning for the Folly
In 2016, a Spanish architect named Jaime Fernandez bought the property. On January 26, 2017, he received permission to turn the castle into a two-bedroom home.
In September 2018, the amazing process of transforming the ruin into a family home was shown on the TV show Channel 4's Grand Designs. The story of Dinton Castle's restoration was also featured in The Wall Street Journal in 2019.
The renovation cost more than £300,000. This was much more than the £100,000 paid to buy the castle. After the work was finished, the Fernandez family moved in. The TV show Grand Designs shared many photos showing the incredible results.
In February 2020, Country Life (magazine) described the building. It said the castle has three unique, eight-sided floors. From the roof terrace, you can see almost an acre of the beautiful Waddesdon Estate countryside. Inside, there is a living room, two bedrooms with their own bathrooms, and a welcoming kitchen on the ground floor.
