Overview
- Piers and Emma demolished a converted 17th-century Warwickshire folly to build a modern home described on the show as the UK's first new castle in 100 years.
- Channel 4 presents the project as Grand Designs’ biggest to date, with plans for a tower, castellations, a moat, arrow slits and loggia courtyards alongside claimed low‑carbon features.
- The initial £2 million budget rose to about £5 million, with Piers saying by September 2025 they likely needed roughly another £1 million to finish.
- Financing pressures included selling businesses and properties, seeking a six‑figure loan from Piers’s mother, facing a rejected mortgage application in 2023 and dealing with hundreds of unpaid invoices.
- The property, named Alcester Castle, is listed with Sotheby’s for £7.95 million and drew largely negative social media reactions to its appearance, while locals objected to the loss of the earlier folly.