Castle Goring: the historic house owned by I’m a Celeb star Lady C...

The Grade 1-listed country house was built in the late 18th century and lies just south of the A27 on the outskirts of Worthing.

Lady Colin, whose work includes biographies of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the Queen Mother, is believed to have bought the Grade 1-listed country house, one of Worthing’s architechtural gems, for £700,000 in 2013.

The property had been marketed for offers in excess of £500,000 and, at the time, the Worthing Herald reported how the successful purchaser would need considerable finances to restore Castle Goring to its former glory after the ravages of more than 200 years – the sum was estimated to be in the region of £2million, with tens of thousands needing to be spent on the castle’s roof alone.

As the property lies within the South Downs National Park, any renovation has to be completed in line with a conservation plan developed by the national park authority in conjunction with English Heritage.

Previously owned by the Somerset family, Castle Goring combines a Greco-Palladian south elevation with a Gothic, castellated northern frontage. Records indicate that the original architect was John Biaglo-Rebecca, and

that he designed this Gothic castellation to replicate Arundel Castle five miles to the west along the A27. The gross internal area of the house is approximately 15,600 square feet. There are a number of fine rooms on the ground and second floors, with ornate ceilings and detailed plasterwork.

Castle Goring is understood to be the only large house in Sussex built by the Shelley family. Sir Bysshe Shelley, grandfather of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, commissioned the property and its construction took some 15 years after the property was first commissioned in the 1790s.

After an ensuing, intriguing history, the property was occupied by the Somerset family until the Second World War, when it was requisitioned for use by Canadian troops. After the war, the house was used as a language

school, as well as associated business and residential uses. It was also used as a picturesque setting for social functions like wedding receptions.

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