In an effort to evade local planners English farmer Robert Fidler built his dream castle, complete with two turrets and a cannon, underneath tarps and hay bales and then lived in it for four years.
Before
After
The Fidlers went to great lengths to keep their castle a secret, including keeping their son Harry away from pre-school on the day students were supposed to do a painting of their home.
"We couldn't have him drawing a big blue haystack – people might ask questions," said 39-year-old Mrs Fidler.
Local planners visited the site during the summer of 2006, but never noticed the castle.
Mr. Fidler was trying to take advantage of a local law that would allow an illegally built home to stand so long as no complaints were raised with the local planning department during within the first four years. Local planners are arguing that the law does not apply because local residents were not aware that the castle was even built.
Mr. Fidler may have as little as six months to tear down his £50,000 castle.
Photo Credit: Daily Mail
John Pasalis is a sales associate at Prudential Properties Plus in Toronto and a founder of Realosophy. Email John
March 6, 2008
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