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29
Jan
'Wild rumours' that Donald Trump could buy Ripley Castle
Opportunities to buy English castles are rare. So the chance to acquire Ripley Castle and its accompanying estate for £21 million is expected to attract a rarefied calibre of buyer.
American anglophile Gerald Rolph bought Allerton Castle near Knaresborough in 1983.
Now, current castle owner Lady Emma Ingilby has suggested — perhaps not entirely seriously — that two rather more high profile Americans could be among the bidders for the family's 14th century country seat.
Asked on ITV last night to address the “wild rumours” circulating Ripley about who could be interested, Lady Emma said:
Donald Trump for one. I thought he was quite busy but now he’s actually in (as US President), he’s welcome. There’s a helipad. Come and have a look!
My granddaughter’s favourite one is Taylor Swift.
Sir Thomas added “she’d make an excellent neighbour”, prompting Lady Emma to say: “I love Taylor Swift so I’d be very happy.”
The Stray Ferret broke the news in June last year that the Ingilbys were to sell their estate neat Harrogate after 700 years in the family. The current owners are the family’s 28th generation.
We were then the first to reveal the asking price and details of the sale this month.
Selling agent Carter Jonas describes the grade one listed building, which has been in the Ingilby family for 28 generations, as “a magnificent country estate nestled on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park” and the “iconic centrepiece of the estate”.
Sir Thomas told ITV:
Everything comes to an end sooner or later. We have had the most wonderful fun here. We’ve always had a hitlist of work that needs to be done to the castle to preserve it for the future. We’ve achieved everything on that list so it’s time to move on.
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