Posted on 02/01/2025 3:50:32 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
Many can identify with the immense relief that accompanies downsizing later in life.
After years of slogging at the coal face and raising children, an empty nest can mean the chance to move to a smaller place with lower bills and experience the heady rush of freedom.
Sir Thomas Ingilby certainly knows the feeling: he recalls the moment of handing over the keys to his Yorkshire home as akin to 'a giant weight being lifted off my shoulders'. It was extraordinary,' the 69-year-old muses. 'I've never felt anything like it. It really was like a physical sensation.'
Then again, the weight in question was an unusually hefty one, given it came in the form of Ripley Castle, a vast and ancient estate that has been in Sir Thomas's family for 700 years and 28 generations and which he inherited at the tender age of 18.
That weight was not just the upkeep of the castle itself but preservation of a family legacy that dates back to the mid-1300s. From Catholic martyrs and Gunpowder Plotters to the redoubtable 'Trooper Jane', a female Ingilby ancestor who held Oliver Cromwell at gunpoint overnight in the castle library during the Civil War, the wealth of history here is immense.
Yet this year, if all goes to plan, a non-Ingilby (with £21million to spare) will take residence within these ancient walls for the first time.
'It's been half a century of responsibility and now we are ready for an irresponsible retirement' says the affable Sir Thomas.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
I was impressed with the upkeep of, ‘The Manse.’ There’s got to be GOBS of cash needed for upkeep. It really is a stunner. The property ALONE is so spectacular - there are interior photos at the link.
I can hardly keep up with a farmhouse built in 1906, let alone a castle from 1300. ;)
The Italian version of Bowling, Right? ;)
“Just get a robot vacuum and you’re good.”
LOL! “Beau? Now that my elderly house dogs and cats have passed, I don’t want ANY pets in the house!”
Within 2 weeks, I had a Beagle, two cats and a pair of Basset Hounds, LOL!
If I bought this Castle, it would be filled with animals...
So, for that reason - “I’M OUT!”
“...kinda has Trumpshire written all over it...”
Oooo! Good call!
Can’t remember the name off top, but there is a whole TV series about people that specialize in taking HUGE properties like this and making them into cash-cow venues while the owners can still live somewhere on site.
‘Bargain Mansions,’ maybe?
Very creative. And some of the owners are in TOTAL denial about their finances.
‘But we have ALWAYS lived in the Castle!’
Yeah, well, PRINCESS, the taxes are due and you ain’t got two sticks to rub together, LOL!
“Is there a dungeon?”
Forget that. I want revolving bookcases that lead to secret passageways. ;)
“The 2 happiest days of a lordship. The day you buy a castle, and the day you sell it!”
Same goes for BOATS! My Dad was Navy and I can’t even BEGIN to tell you the number of boats we went through as a family. Never anything GRAND, but still a lot of fun - until a new one caught his eye. My poor Mom, LOL!
Does it have Servants Quarters?
...Ingilby Links Golf Course
Well, as generally fond as I am of the Brits, it’s not my circus and not my monkeys.
I’m worried about keeping my own house in order; they can worry about theirs.
Young people with lots of money and big ideas can take it on.
At my age, I’m moving more and more toward a modified ‘minimalism’. It looks like freedom.
My initial thoughts as well. It appears as though he is thinking about himself and the weight on "his" shoulders. There is almost certainly a way for him to produce revenues with it and keep it in the family name. although it might entail cutting a deal with the Crown on the taxes.
He will likely have some 'splaining to do on the other side.
Might ye be lookin' for a Lady Chatterley now lad?
WOW look at the walls around that place! I wonder how many are on the security staff.
Must be a b**** to dust, huh? :^) Thanks Diana in Wisconsin.
That book has a bad reputation; but it’s actually a very beautiful work.
(Most people have seen pornographic renditions of it, instead of actually reading the book.)
Perhaps. Should you see her, kindly direct her to the gamekeeper’s cottage. I can’t have her wandering around near Laz’s castle.
It is always the 28th generation that sells the family jewels.
huge... tracts of land
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
