A discovery. An idea. An invitation.
A 300-year-old Scottish castle.
For the price of a London flat.
Ever dreamed about what it would be like to own a
castle or period country house?
How this started
I found a castle for sale.
It was Category A listed. Fourteen bedrooms. 5 estate cottages. Set in seventy acres of gardens and grounds above a river in the Scottish countryside with woodland, fields, formal gardens. Completed in the first decade of the 1700s it could boast of three hundred years of continuous occupation, and was built on the site of an even more ancient fortified structure dating from the 1300's - the time of the Scottish Kings.
700 years of history and it was listed for £3 million.
£3 million is, give or take, what you'd pay for a nice but unspectacular three-bedroom flat in London in Kensington, Marylebone, or a new build near Sydney Harbour.
The castle had been on the market for several years. Multiple agencies tried but nobody was buying. Not even bitcoin billionaires. I kept thinking: this can't be a problem of price, importance or inherent worth.
Then I realised, it's just a math problem.
Instead of one buyer with £3M, we need to find 3,000 buyers each with £1,000. With Castle-focused Instagram accounts and Facebook groups claiming many millions of followers there had to be a few thousand among them with £1,000 surely.
Of course, 3,000 people from all over the world trying to buy a castle in Scotland is not without complications. Not an awful idea though.
The easier task, rather than trying to navigate securities legislation across a dozen jurisdictions, was to ask: what could a community of people who genuinely loved these places do together - now.
“One buyer needs £3 million. Thirty thousand people only a hundred pounds each.”
Leaving aside for now how cool it would be to buy castles we could all share, what if we could form a club, not to divide up the title deeds among the members, but to direct the collective enthusiasm, patronage, and modest contributions of individuals who genuinely care about these places?
What if the members could visit, play, and stay, and in the process help save extraordinary historic properties
That's not to say that owning these properties cannot be in the future. But what we're building now is simple - a membership that supports them by using them. And we want you in from the beginning.
A note from the founder
I'm a licensed real estate professional, born in the UK and based in Australia, with a lifelong interest in British architecture and history. During lockdown I found myself with time on my hands and a growing obsession with what I started calling the price-versus-value gap in historic property — the gap between what these buildings are worth culturally and what the market will pay for them. I'm not a developer or a conservationist. I'm someone who cares, who knows the market, and who thinks there might be a better way.
I'm grateful to the farsighted people who created the National Trust nearly 150 years ago — they understood that built history needs active protection, not just admiration. We are so lucky to have the examples of period architecture that we have. But we need to ensure those examples do not diminish - they are finite and irreplaceable. I want to see as much historic domestic architecture survive and thrive as possible. The larger examples are just too much for most single family owners so a different future is required. The National Trust simply cannot give every period property a lifeline. Memberships are a source of demand and support, and members' friends, family and colleagues expand the group. This is the sort of fuel that can give larger historic buildings an independent future that all can patronize and enjoy. I think the timing is right and the tools exist to make this work. This is my attempt to find out.
The beautiful arithmetic
Small contributions.
Extraordinary outcomes.
The National Trust has over five million members. It protects complex properties with large estates and important collections of art and furniture. But there are thousands of smaller castles, fortified houses, and listed period estates and they can't all get that sort of support.
These “lesser” buildings, still locally, nationally and some even internationally important, and no less ancient or interesting as survivors, have their own stories to tell. They need patrons too. They need to be used — they need a use. That's one of the key points with these less monumental properties - they're already lived in and there's no fear that they cannot be used. They're big enough to accommodate far more than the current Lord and Lady of the house. They just need a member community with a large friend group that can visit, an engaged public, and individually small contributions from members that result in genuine collective muscle.
“It is estimated three million certificates were sold declaring purchasers owners of Highland novelty plots and holders of imaginary lordly titles. Just to feel connected to the historic past.”
We think there's a way to do something more substantial.
300,000
Members
×
£10
PER YEAR
=
£3M
EVERY YEAR
Just one example of how relatively small amounts for individuals can as a group become materially impactful sums. Imagine what £10 per month could do!
The club
This is just the start.
There's no way of telling whether 3, 30 or 30,000 people will be interested.
But membership could mean…
01
Access & Adventures
Private visits. Members-only experiences. Meetings with owners. Stays and Events. Works. Celebrations.
02
Collective Patronage
Monies directed to heritage properties at risk of break-up or changes that will diminish them.
03
A Community of Obsessives
People who find a Scottish Baronial or Georgian, Victorian or Edwardian country house as interesting as you do. They read Country Life property listings for pleasure and follow Instagram pages and Facebook groups - millions get their daily dose of images of the world of historic castles and country houses.
04
Stories Worth Telling
Dispatches about their histories, their owners, their survival stories. Be part of their story.
Is this you?
This club could be for people who…
Searched for castles or country houses on Rightmove and ended up spending an hour
Feel faintly sad every time an historic estate becomes converted into luxury flats
Would rather spend a weekend at a Georgian country estate than the latest urban hotel hot spot
Know the National Trust is without peer, but simply cannot help everything worth preserving
Might live anywhere in the world but feel drawn to or attached to British heritage
Want membership to be a part of something that means something
✦ ✦ ✦
The world we're talking about
Castles. Manor houses.
Estates with stories still to tell.
Each one recently for sale at between 2M and 5M - a reminder of
what's out there, waiting.
Ayton Castle, Scottish Borders
Ardgay Castle, Scottish Highlands
Stoke Rochford Hall, Lincolnshire
Bunchrew House, Inverness
Brechin Castle, Angus
Ballathie House, Perthshire
Copyright the owners
Be first through
the gate.
We're assembling the membership waitlist now. No payment required, just your name on the list.
We'll keep you posted and let you know when membership opens. No spam. Unsubscribe any time.