FOR KEEPS
I bought a ruined CASTLE for £1… locals think I’m ridiculous but it was worth every penny
A DAD who bought a ruined castle says locals think he's ridiculous - but insists it was worth every penny.
Martin Higgins, 60, from Brockham in Surrey, bought Betchworth Castle for just one pound after the local council refused to preserve it.
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He first went inside Betchworth Castle as a child, when local kids used to trespass there.
The castle, which possibly dates back to the Iron Age, featured in the Domesday Book - William the Conqueror's list of all the things he could tax in his new kingdom.
King Edward I stayed at the castle before its posh Victorian owners deliberately let it fall into "romantic ruin".
The government blocked the local council from pulling down the castle, which is surrounded by a golf course.
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But the council refused to preserve the castle - so history lover Martin made them a cheeky offer.
He told the : "I said, 'I’ll tell you what, I’ll buy it from you for £1 and do it myself.'
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"I didn’t get the keys to the castle exactly, but I did get the key to a padlock for the railings around it.
"Locally, I’m known as the man who owns the castle; people like to drop it into conversation.
"I think they found the idea of buying one for £1 ridiculous, although they’re always complimentary about my endeavour."
Betchworth Castle was in conservation deficit, where expected repair costs exceed market value - but handing council bosses a pound coin gave Martin official ownership of it.
The dad later admitted to his wife that he'd spent £29,000 of his own money on repairs including restored walls and window-frames.
Near the point of collapse when Martin bought it, the castle now attracts 28,000 visitors a year.
Martin said: "It’s hugely satisfying to see a family up there for a Sunday walk.
"My next challenge is to secure its future. Having bought it for £1, what could be better than giving it away?"
It comes after the I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! castle was embroiled in a planning row after a 200-year-old wall was knocked down illegally.
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