Ripley Castle: Sir Thomas and Lady Ingilby sell famous £21m estate after 700 years in the family

Lady Emma Ingilby and Sir Thomas Ingilby are putting Ripley Castle in North Yorks., which boasts turrets, a lake, secret passageways and even deer on the market.

The castle, which can be seen in the video above (click to play), will also be sold with the estate, which includes a cricket pitch, a hotel, a village store, a shoot yard, a gift shop and tearooms.

The estate hasn't been sold in over 700 years and Sir Thomas inherited the property when he was 18.

King James I stayed here, ahead of his coronation. Oliver Cromwell, for the Battle of Marsden Moor. He was guarded by Trooper Jane Ingilby, legend has it, who fought dressed in a full suit of armour.

That history oozes out of every castle corridor, the Ingilbys say today, as they contemplate what comes next. It’s been more than 25 generations. No matter who the new owners may be, it can never be erased.

To Sir Thomas, who inherited it all at the age of just 18, this is the first time he can think outside of duty. He and his wife have the backing, he stressed, of all five of their children. “They’ve got their own lives,” he said. “It liberates us all. We’ve got things to do.”

And Lady Ingilby added: “We’ve never had the chance at spontaneity. We’re actually just looking forward to sitting down and saying ‘we can do anything’ – within reason.”

To Sir Thomas, it might mean more cricket, as chairman of the Nidderdale League. To Lady Ingilby, her focus will be on charity work with children’s cancer charity Candlelighters.

At the estate’s peak they employed more than 100 people – their diaries were always jammed with weddings booked two years in advance.

“We’d like to do some travelling,” said Lady Ingilby. “And we’ve got four grandchildren, we’re likely to have some more – we’ve two family weddings this summer.

“I’d like to be able to spend time with our grandchildren. We were working seven days a week. It’s about having time. You suddenly realise, ‘we’re nearly 70’.”

The castle, near Harrogate, dates from the early 1300s when it formed part of the dowry of Edeline Thweng to a previous Sir Thomas Ingilby. It has played its part in history, from the Gunpowder Plot to the English Civil War. When Sir Thomas inherited suddenly, two-thirds of the estate had to be sold.

Some people might remember the castle’s disrepair. The couple married 10 years later. It’s been their life mission, a marriage mission, to get it in good order.

Now there’s not a building in the place that hasn’t seen investment, said Sir Thomas. In the last five years alone, £2.5m has been spent. “The village and the castle are very different places from what they were when I took over,” he said.

“I look back at the early aerial photographs and it was like a scene from old Emmerdale – stuff falling down everywhere. You forget how much you’ve done.”

There’s the east wing, effectively rebuilt over more than half the castle’s footprint. A new roof in lockdown, ironing out the last minor fixes under Historic England guidance.

Now it’s a “wonderful gift” to leave to the nation, said Sir Thomas. What they’ve done is safeguard it for the next 300 years. “I can leave happily,” he said.

Lady Ingilby is more cautious. “Well, we’re not skipping out,” she added. “Content, I think is the word. We did exactly what we set out to achieve. It’s time for the castle to perhaps have a new exciting chapter.”

The Ingilbys have raised their family here, living and working in the same space. That has its challenges, when there’s a thump in the night, to find a tree has taken a tumble.

They will miss the staff, they said. Some have been by their side for 50 years. They have become loyal friends, and it’s been a wrench to see some move on. They will miss early morning walks, in the mists by the lake, or on a late evening watching the deer. They don’t plan, urgently, on going very far.

Just under two years ago the Ingilbys moved into a house in the village. They are conscious they don’t want to “breath down the neck of any new owners”, they said.

“We are planning to stay locally at the moment,” confirmed Lady Ingilby. “We are certainly not leaving Yorkshire. Goodness gracious no, definitely not leaving Yorkshire.

“We’d love to stay. Ripley runs through us like a stick of rock, it gets into your soul,” she added. “It’s a very happy village. Most people stay here and end up in the churchyard. We don’t want to breath down the necks of any new owners. We’re there if they need us.”

The news, last year, that the castle was to be sold was met with a certain concern, sending shockwaves through the community. It was Sir Thomas himself that had driven around in lockdown, with his car boot open, to empty the rubbish bins. The estate has always taken care of small things. Now, that is really noticed. A sharp wake-up call.

The hope, they said, is to find new owners who “get it”. Who can relish that history. And who can enjoy the estate, have fun with it. They don’t have to sign up for 700 years, joked Sir Thomas. They can start with a century and see how it goes.

The estate has been put on the market by Carter Jonas in affiliation with Christie’s International Real Estate.

Prospective buyers have been told that offers will be considered which could split the estate into up to nine parts.

There are some things the Ingilbys set out quickly to protect. The town hall, offered first dibs to the community which has raised funds to buy it outright. Then the cricket pitch, securing its long term security. This is something close to his own heart, said Sir Thomas.

Lady Ingilby jokes that she will have to bury him with a bat, and he eagerly agrees.

And in his mind he is already writing the book, a sequel to one he published over a decade ago exploring behind the scenes. All the untold stories of Ripley Castle. All its secrets.

“I will always retain my love for that history and my need to continue researching it,” he said. “That will be great fun. I’ve never had the time to do that. A lot of very funny things happen when you live in a castle."

There is a sense of trepidation, for what comes next after so many centuries. To the Ingilbys, it's the right decision, at the right time. One of their granddaughters has asked, when they move, if she can have a smaller bedroom. They might be able to manage that.

There is a sense of sadness, they added. It's people that make it hard. But also there is opportunity here.

Lady Ingilby said she does have hope that, in time, people will look back and say "oh, it's so much better now".

She does smile when she underlines the rumours. No, the castle hasn't already been sold. It only went on the market days ago, and it's taken all this time just to get it ready, she said. She has been hunting for ancient deeds.

And no, Donald Trump has not been in touch. He is a "tad busy" at present, with Presidential demands, but if he wants to come visit they could perhaps arrange to show him round.

Sir Thomas, reflecting, interjects. "Personally I'm holding out for Taylor Swift," he said.

"She hasn't been in touch yet, but you never know with luck. We've room for Christmas trees, which is the family business."

Inside a remarkable castle estate with seven centuries of history

Ripley Castle Estate comes to market with a guide price of over £21m. There are 445 acres of parkland, ornamental gardens, and agricultural land.

And at the centrepiece of the estate, the 14th century Grade I listed castle.

There’s The Gatehouse, completed 1450, the three-storey Old Tower, and a carriage lawn straight out of a fairytale.

Inside, along with a grand reception hall, oval drawing room overlooking the deer park, there is a cantilever staircase and armorial stained-glass windows.

Library flooring is sourced from the HMS Rose, an 18th-century frigate, and a priest hole only discovered in 1963. There are 11 bedrooms and six baths.

An old squash court still exists in the grounds, with walled gardens and grounds large enough to host its own agricultural show or lakeside concert.

The estate is listed for sale as a whole or in nine separate lots. Potential buyers could choose, which one lot listing the village store and another a hotel and annex. A third considers sporting rights and a shoot yard, while another looks at woodland and pasture.

Mark Granger, of Carter Jonas, said this was an exceptional opportunity. “Not just a once-in-lifetime chance, but truly a once-in-a-700-year opportunity to purchase an estate that encompasses historical significance, architectural splendour and beauty,” he said.

“The manageable estate is perfectly situated and features extensive parkland and lakes, forming an integral part of the village of Ripley. Even having known the estate for a long time, I remain consistently moved by its uniqueness.”

Watch the video above.