Not such a folly after all! Sham castle once bought for £1 after falling into ruin offered for sale at £750,000 after restoration

Sham Castle, set over 1.7acres near Shrewsbury, Shropshire, was sold in 1984 for £1 after falling into disrepair



But Philip Evans and Christopher Joll, who bought the property in 2001, restored it back to a beautiful Georgian castle



The pair spent 13 years repainting and renovating the property before putting it on the market - for £750,000




A historic folly which was bought for just £1 when it fell into a woeful state has now gone on the market for £750,000 - after the owners spent 13 years restoring it to its former glory.

Philip Evans and Christopher Joll bought the 'jewel of a property' near Shrewsbury, Shropshire in 2001, complete with shattered ceilings, a crumbled tower and overgrown trees jutting through the broken windows.

The pair bought the building for £350,000 from a local philanthropist, who acquired the dilapidated property for just £1 and tried to bring it up to scratch.

Sham Castle, which sits proudly on top of a 60ft hill overlooking 1.7acres on land near Shrewsbury, Shropshire, has been put on the market for £750,000 after being bought for £1 just 30 years ago



The Georgian castle was sold to a bookshop owner in 1984 after falling into such a state of disrepair that the ceilings had crumbled and trees were growing through the broken windows. But it was snapped up by the current owners in 2001, who set to work renovating the property



The stunning three-turreted castle, formerly known as both Black Dick's Castle and Keeper's Tower, was bought by Philip Evans and Christopher Joll who have spent more than one decade restoring the historic building to its former glory



But after spending more than decade working on the run-down wreck, Sham Castle has again blossomed into the enchanting Georgian castle it once was - and is now being sold for double the amount for which it was last bought.

Mr Evans, 53, said: 'It’s been hard work but a lot of fun and I think we have triumphed. We will very sad to sell this jewel of a property.'

The stunning three-turreted hexagonal castle - formerly known as both Black Dick’s Castle and Keeper’s Tower - was originally built by aristocrat Sir Edward Smythe in 1780, on the grounds of his sprawling country mansion, Acton Burnell Hall.

The lavish building was home to an ornate music chamber, which Sir Edward and his family used for exuberant summer parties and concerts, and later became a gamekeeper's cottage.

But by the 1950s, the property had fallen into disrepair and was left empty. In 1984, after decades of neglect, the dilapidated castle was in such a poor state that it was sold to local bookshop owner and philanthropist Christopher Powney for just £1.

He renovated the property to a livable standard - but there was still a lot of work to be done to bring it out of its woeful state.



The Grade II listed property has been renovated in an 18th Century style to fit with the castle's heritage. The property includes an opulent drawing room, formerly known as the music room. The renovation involved repairing the fireplace, having the plasterwork restored and redoing the walls, which was intricately carried out by Mr Evans



The former music room is the centre of the property and features heavily in the castle's history. When the property was bought, it still featured intricate plasterwork depicting musical instruments all over the ceiling

A photo of the music room, believed to be taken in the early 1950s, which shows the dilapidated music room, which has since been turned into a scene of opulence

But the fate of the Grade II-listed folly was changed in 2001 when it was snapped up by Mr Joll, who writes and directs the British Military Tournament, and Mr Evans, an art gallery owner.

The pair, who are now moving to Bath, spent an undisclosed amount of money returning the property to its previous condition.



As well as redecorating every room inside the three-bedroom property, the pair also had to repaint the outside of the castle and landscape the castle's grounds.

Mr Evans, 53, said: 'When Christopher Powney rescued the folly in 1984 it was in an awful state - the ceilings had fallen down, one of the towers had crumbled and all the windows were broken and there were trees growing through them.

The folly's hexagonal kitchen and dining room, which is described as 'small but perfectly form', has been decorated in an !8th Century-style and features wooden beams



This spiral staircase was also put into the renovated home after the new owners got to work restoring it. The staircase leads to the drawing room and another bedroom

One of the bedrooms in the folly - a name coined in the 16th Century, but now more associated with the 18th Century due to their eccentricity and rustic charm - continues the historic theme



'The garden was completely overgrown with nettles. Mr Powney made it habitable but didn’t live there for very long.

'We bought the folly in 2001 and set about restoring in an 18th Century style. I meticulously picked out the detail in the plaster and made the garden my project. '

For the men, the restoration of the music room was one of the hardest tasks. The fireplace - which was pumping out smoke when the pair bought the castle - had to be replaced and all the plasterwork was restored.

The re-work of the walls, which included painting the intricate adornments white, took nearly six months of long weekends, while the ceiling was painted in an extravagant style to fit the folly's reputation.

Now the renovated property gleams from above a 60ft hill in the crater of an extinct volcano, among 1.7acres of wooden gardens.



The home looks out to a garden which was previously full of 'overgrown nettles' but was landscaped by the new owners when it was bought in 2001



The 1.7acre plot includes a garden pavilion, as well as wooded gardens and a 60ft hill in the crater of an extinct volcano

It revolves around a stunning hexagonal kitchen and dining room, which sits on the ground floor with two bedrooms and a regal-looking hallway.

Up the spiral staircase is the drawing room and a third bedroom.

The earliest use of the word 'folly' to refer to a whimsical piece of architecture was in the 16th Century.

But with their quirky combination of eccentricity, romanticism and rustic charm, follies are more commonly associated with the 18th Century.

The dilapidated castle had to be completely repainted, inside and outside, when it was bought by the latest owners. They said it had been made habitable by the previous owner but that there was still a lot of work to be done

Artist Philip Evans, one of the current owners, spent six months of weekends intricately painting the ceiling in the music room, adding to the 'unique' charm of the folly



Belinda Hutchinson-Smith, from estate agents Strutt and Parker, which is marketing the property, said: 'Sham Castle is utterly enchanting and unique - there’s nothing else quite like it.

'It has been through several lives over the years, going from a beautiful Georgian castle to a gamekeeper’s cottage.

'In 2001 the current vendor bought it and it has since been totally restored to its former glory. There is something wonderfully British about follies and Sham Castle is one of the best.

'It might be small but it is perfectly formed, and the views are absolutely magical. It is a very special place.'