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A legal dispute over the title of the Earl of Arran has reached the Court of Session in Scotland. Swiss recluse Willi Ernst Sturzenegger has appealed to the Court of Session to be recognised, formally, as the territorial Earl of Arran and be addressed with all due dignity. The court of the Lord Lyon was quite surprised that anyone would want to claim the title Earl of Arran, especially since it is already held by Scotland’s most famous peer, the Duke of Hamilton.
Mr Sturzenegger, who already calls himself online as Lord Arran, had a similar petition turned down by the Lord Lyon, the guardian of Scottish titles and heraldry.
The Lord Lyon, currently the respected legal historian David Sellars, has issued a formal note, dismissing the petition as “on the face of it … a surprising proposition” that would give Mr Sturzenegger the same kind of arms as a member of the House of Lords.
Mr Sturzenegger is one of scores of wealthy men and women, mostly foreign, who have snapped up Scotland’s forgotten feudal titles over the last two decades.
The titles – most frequently baronies or lordships – are the only ones of their kind that can be bought and sold, often along with tiny parcels of Scottish land. The earldom of Arran, however, is one of the rarest of the feudal titles, the most senior it is possible to hold.
There are believed to be only around two dozen feudal earldoms, most held by aristocratic families. Few have sold, usually for very large sums indeed.
Mr Sturzenegger picked his up in 1995 along with a few thousand acres of Arran and the “caput” or title to Lochranza Castle, owned by Historic Scotland.
Mr Sturzenegger has been trying to get himself effectively declared an earl since 2000. In 2001, as part of a compromise deal with the then Lord Lyon, he successfully petitioned to have himself accepted by the Lord Lyon as “Sturzenegger of Arran, holder of the territorial Earldom of Arran”.
That name, granted in 2001, came with a coat of arms that includes the additaments – or “bells and whistles” as some heraldry experts call them – of a baron, but not an earl.
Midmar Castle is for sale along with the Barony of Midmar. The castle itself is a unique property.Midmar Castle dates from many different eras, but the square tower dates from around 1411 and the main tower from 1565, with further additions and renovations over the years which followed. The castle was most likely built by the then Governor of Scotland Sir William Wallace as a hunting lodge for his friend Sir Thomas Lonsdale.
The property is built in the traditional defensive Z plan and is based around three towers, one square and two circular and includes some incredible features attributed to the famous and remarkable granite masons of the Mid-Mar school who operated in the 16th century; some of the decorative stone masonry is extremely fine. More recently the castle has undergone considerable restoration with the help of Historic Scotland to help bring the property into the modern era without destroying any of its considerable charm.
The accommodation roughly comprises hall with wide stone staircase, vaulted dining hall, gun room, kitchen, conservatory, laundry, vaulted workshops, great hall, snooker room, office, study, staff quarters, ten bedrooms and three bathrooms.
Outside the castle has five acres of parkland surrounding it with fine mature trees. To the east is a 16th century high walled garden of just over an acre entered by a gate in the wall underneath an old Yew tree which has a fruit garden at the bottom. The guide price for Midmar Castle is £5m.
Italy is trying to reduce its debt of £1.18 trillion by selling about 9,000 buildings, palaces, beaches, islands and forts with an estimated value of more than £3bn which will become available at the end of this month.
Among the most expensive and picturesque assets on sale is the Caprera island chain, part of the La Maddelana archipelago off the north-east coast of Sardinia.The islands have 45 miles of secluded coastline surrounded by crystal waters which draw scuba divers from around the world. They are inhabited mainly by goats.
Caprera itself was crowned ‘World’s Sexiest Beach’ and described as ‘la dolce vita meets Euro bling’ in 2007. It used to be owned by Giuseppe Garibaldi, credited with unifying Italy in the 19th century.
Also on offer will be islands in the lagoon off the coast of Venice, expected to cost millions of euros. These include Sant’Erasmo, known for its market gardens, vineyards and pretty fort. In the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west of the country, the deserted Santo Stefano island is available.
The Italian government has announced plans to sell off properties to reduce the country’s £1.18 billion debt .In Rome, historical buildings including the Villa Giulia museum, built on the outskirts of the city by Pope Julius III in the 16th Century, will be on sale. Objects inside will also be available. There is also a 900-year-old Norman palace in Palermo which was home to the ancient kings of Sicily. Prime real estate along the Dolomite mountain chain on the border with Austria. Alternatively, you could buy a beach on Lake Como – where George Clooney has a home.
The idea is the brainchild of Italy’s separatist Northern League, part of the ruling centre-Right coalition. The Agenzia del Demanio, the government agency that controls the ‘national treasures’, will first offer them to local and regional councils which can then sell them over the internet.
A spokesman for the Agenzia del Demanio said: ‘The complete list is still being drawn up but a provisional one has been made available to regional and local councils. The full list will be posted online at the end of July.
‘Ultimately it will be up to the regional authority what they decide to do but selling off the asset would obviously go some way to reducing national and local debts.’
The plan has come under fire from environmentalists and opposition MPs. Stefano Delpieri, of Friends of the Earth in Sardinia, said: ‘This is madness. These places are all protected areas and if they are sold off there will be development on them.’
Angelo Bonelli, of the Green Party, said: ‘Behind this sell-off is the greatest building and real estate development in Italian history.
Myres Castle in Fife is for sale , a well appointed castle with stunning gardens and parkland grounds, staff flat and gate lodge. The castle is 30 minutes from St Andrews and within 40 minutes of Edinburgh Airport.
The castle dates from around 1530 and formed part of the lands of the Earl of Fife. The castle has had many illustrious owners but in 1887 Myres Castle was sold to James Fairlie who had been Private Chamberlain at the Vatican to three Popes and the walled garden was laid out in the same style as one of the gardens of the Vatican. It has been most recently renovated as a luxury home in 1999 creating 10 ensuite bedrooms and modern kitchen and heating facilities and is now a superbly comfortable family house.
The castle lies in beautiful Fife countryside and has complete privacy created by by its own private woodland all around the perimeter. Access to St Andrews and the world famous golf courses is only about half and hour away and Edinburgh airport comfortably within an hours drive.
The contents of the castle are also available by separate negotiation.
Nicholas Cage has sold his castle, Schloss Neidstein, to his local German advisor, lawyer Konrad Wilfurth, according to the regional daily newspaper Mittelbayerische Zeitung. He has sold several proeprtiues to pay a tax bill.
July 2006, in a move inspired by the German roots of his mother, Joy Vogelsang. At the time, he fell in love with the half-timbered centuries old structure saying, “I liked the architecture and the gigantic forest.” He envisioned a homey residence for himself, wife Alice Kim Cage, 25, and son Kal-El, 3.
According to the newspaper, Cage renovated the exterior of Schloss Neidstein, a 28-room castle perched on a hill in the middle of 395 acres of forest. “But since the exterior renovation, nothing more has happened,” castle caretaker Heinz Breitfelder told the newspaper.
Schloss Neidstein Castle
ARMIN WEIGEL / EPA / Landov
The new owner, Wilfurth, added that “the original plan for the Neidstein-Project turned out not to be feasible.”
Cage last visited his German castle nearly one year ago, in May 2008, when he swooped in by helicopter. He still has another castle, Midford Castle, near Bath, England, which he bought in July 2007. He recently began renovating that property, too.
Oxford Castle, in Castle Street, has been given a virtual price tag of £45m. Some Oxford city landmarks have been valued by local estate agents .
The much-photographed Radcliffe Camera, in Radcliffe Square, was valued at £23m.
Property expert Nigel Lewis, of FindaProperty.com, said: “We know these landmarks will never be put up for sale, but with property prices shooting up 10 per cent over the past year we thought it would be fun to see what the market consensus was about their values. It is quite a challenge for estate agents more used to valuing suburban semis to put an accurate price on town halls or castles, but there was a surprising amount of agreement between the different agents we spoke to.”
The most expensive residential property in the city currently on the website is a seven-bedroom detached house in Charlbury Road, North Oxford. Near the house where author Iris Murdoch once lived, the property is on the market for £3.5m.
Lizanne Simmons, of Summertown-based Penny & Sinclair, said: “Size, location and kerb appeal dictated the valuations, as did what they could be used for.
“The castle and the town hall could be quite good party or wedding venues.
a 15th century listed castle and its listed chapel in the Poitou region is for sale. In the heart of the Poitou region, 380 km (238 miles) south of Paris (330/206 of which are on the A10 motorway), and a little less than 50 km (31 miles) from Poitiers-Briard airport with direct flights to London, Edinburgh and other European capitals.
Close to a small medieval town with a good tourist trade and all amenities, the property nestles in an authentic hamlet situated in the Gatine area
Carlowrie Castle ,one of the country’s finest rural estates went on sale today with a £3.75million price tag. The sale of Carlowrie Castle – a baronial estate outside Edinburgh – might trigger a rush of overseas interest and was welcomed as a sign of “top-end recovery”. Leading estate agents Savills and Rettie & Co said the sale of the spectacular seven-bedroom mansion reflected “increased activity” in the multi-million pound market.They said a recent surge in interest in “large properties” was a sign of renewed confidence in the upper tier of the housing market. This calibre of residential estate coming onto the market points to increased activity at the top end. Due to the fact that many of Scotland’s grandest estates and castles could be considered to be discretionary spend, this sector of the market has suffered during the economic downturn of the past two years.