THE laughter of children in their best clothes, playing in beautiful, landscaped grounds, mirrors the sound coming from the nearby luxuriously-decorated marquee where a speech is being made…
A happy couple emerge to pose for photographs before the stunning Regency facades of the imposing – but pretty – house, built in the early 19th century.
Grade II-listed Woodlands Castle has seen hundreds of such events, providing the backdrop for thousands of photographs that stand to this day on mantlepieces and shelves around the country.
It was the house a dream life lived in…
Woodlands Castle hosted many weddings – creating memories to last a lifetime…
Now, it sits in near-ruin, on the verge of unrepairable damage after years of neglect.
The home appears abandoned, unloved, of times gone by – a symbol of the fading status of the likes of former owner, eccentric aristocrat Sir Benjamin Slade.
It operated – under Sir Benjamin’s ownership – as a successful wedding and conference venue until the spring of 2020, and the arrival of Covid 19.
The following year, it was used illegally as a cannabis farm, which did untold damage to the walls and ceilings – the fabric of a building holding thousands of stories.
Vandals also targeted the property; lead stripped from the roof, letting rainwater permeate every level, down to the basement; interior fixtures and fittings – from chandeliers to ornate panelling – ripped out.
The once-glorious Woodlands Castle is full of creaking beams and doors, crying for help before they degrade beyond repair.
Estimates of the work needed to bring it back to something like its former glory top £2 million.
The formerly impressive Woodlands Castle is now a dilapidated building… Picture: Prime Meridian/Somerset Council
But hope could be on the horizon, after ambitious plans to redevelop the property were revealed.
Prime Meridian, on behalf of Belstone Fox and Mr T Jones, has submitted plans that could bring Woodlands Castle back to the beauty and landmark status it once embodied as a single home.
It will comes at some cost – to the setting of the property and the surrounding estate – but the floundering phoenix could yet rise from the flames.
“Central to the scheme is the reinstatement of the house and original outbuildings as a single dwelling, with substantial repair and reinstatement work to the buildings,” the application said.
“The house is now in a poor condition, it has suffered from vandalism, removal of original features and water damage through the roof.
The venue for a dream wedding is now the stuff of nightmares… Pictures: Prime Meridian/Somerset Council
“The water ingress has been halted by carrying out temporary repairs at roof level and is drying out, but the building is in a vulnerable condition.
“These proposals offer a viable and sustainable use that provides certainty for the security of the listed building and gardens for the future.”
To enable the refurbishment and restoration of Woodlands Castle, the plans detail proposals for 18 new homes in the immediate and extended grounds.
Two muse houses would be built near where a fading and moulded marquee – home to so many happy memories – now sits.
Nine new houses would be built along the eastern boundary of the site, with seven more to the south of an access off Ruishton Lane.
And a 70-bed care home could also be built on the former castle estate, again near Ruishton Lane, though that part of the development is not included in the planning application.
How the Woodlands Castle estate could look if the plans are approved. Picture: Prime Meridian/Somerset Council
Architect Prime Meridian has set up a website detailing the proposals, which it says will “liberate funding for the restoration of Woodlands Castle”.
“These proposals offer a viable and sustainable use that provides certainty for the security of the listed building and gardens for the future,” it added.
It said the plans, achieved through “extensive consultation”, would be “complimentary to the restored Woodlands Castle building”, would “make a positive contribution to biodiversity” and bring about a “reduction in the impact of the previous events and wedding business” in traffic at the site.
A once-revered property could soon be heading back to the top of the most picturesque homes in Somerset list – and once again make many, many happy memories…
To view the full planning application, log on to somerset.gov.uk and search for reference 31/24/0009/HYB.
The proposed layout of the Woodlands Castle site. Picture: Prime Meridian/Somerset Council
Shocking pictures reveal how Woodlands Castle has fallen into disrepair…
This is such a shame. My daughter got married there and the place was like a fairytale castle. I hardly recognised it from the photo. The beautiful staircase she walked down and was pictured on now just a shell. I hope they can restore it to its former glory.