Alan Carr Pops Sussex Home On Market To Fund Traitors-Style Castle Renovation

Buying up a castle is no mean feat – even if you are a beloved British celeb with a good few millions to your name. Earlier this year, Alan Carr did just that. Clearly inspired by his time in the Celebrity Traitors turrets he decided to buy up a Scottish manor of his own – a red-brick, baronial structure by the name of Ayton Castle with more than a passing resemblance to Ardross Castle (where the show is filmed).

But at last, with all the upkeep that castles require it seems that funds may be running dry, as Carr has popped his West Sussex country home on the market, allegedly in a bid to fund the purchase and renovation of his new castle digs. 

Inside Alan Carr’s Home

(c) BBC/DSP/Georgina Vincent

Nestled in the West Sussex countryside, Carr’s country home is a bucolic haven within easy reach of London. Dating back to the 15th and 17th centuries, the home is rife in period details – from the fine oak timber frame and traditional Horsham stone to the clay tiled roof and inglenook fireplace. And complete with all the luxuries of rural life, including an AGA and terraces with views across the surrounding countryside. 

Alongside the principal bedroom suite (with its dressing room and en-suite bathroom), there are three further bedrooms and a guest suite with reception room that can be accessed via a separate staircase in its own wing of the house. While we don’t know much about the interiors, we do know that Carr has amassed a wealth of experience in that world, having renovated multiple European villas with his good friend Amanda Holden (in Amanda & Alan’s Spanish, Italian and Greek Jobs) and headed up Interior Design Masters. 

Set within 4.34 acres, the property comes equipped with a solar-heated swimming pool (with supplementary oil-fired support), a paddock, traditional Sussex barn, garden store, garden room, pergola and terraces. Accessed by a sweeping driveway, the lawns are interspersed with specimen trees, while formal gardens, rose gardens, a pond, orchard, vegetable garden, greenhouse and willow complete the scene. 

Credit: Knight Frank

Impressive it may be, the property has nothing on Carr’s new Scottish digs. Here, the castle estate spans 160 acres of land, complete with cottages, gate lodges, stable flats, equestrian facilities and a 16th century dovecote. Beyond, terraces, parkland, woodland, and – most impressively of all – its very own 600m railway track, complete with a platform and ticket office. As for the castle itself, the 16 bedrooms, five-storey turret, private chapel, butler’s pantry and former servants’ hall speak (rather grandly) for themselves. 

If that sounds like an awful leg-up from the management of his Sussex home, Carr has got a solution. The TV funny man isn’t just settling down amongst the turrets, but is said to be transforming the estate into a luxury spa retreat – all for our entertainment. As he said: ‘Some men when they have a midlife crisis buy a Lamborghini or grow a ponytail, but me – I want my very own castle. Since I was a boy in Northampton, I’ve always dreamt big, and have always been enchanted with the history and romance of a stately home and as I turn fifty, I feel it’s my time. All I want is a turret to call my own – get me over that drawbridge!’

Carr is planning to document the whole process in a new fly-on-the-wall reality TV programme with the working title of Castle Man. Helmed by the production company Expectation, which also produced Clarkson’s Farm for Amazon Prime, the series will eventually be available for streaming on Disney+ and Hulu. Though we don’t yet know the release date, you can read our full guide to the new show here.