Victorian master builder transforms Warrnambool house into castle for his son

ABC NEWS (Australia)

They say 'a man's home is his castle' and in southwest Victoria, that's become a reality. A local builder has built his son a real-life castle complete with a moat and drawbridge and it's turning heads in their quiet Warrnambool street.

Transcript

00:00Meet Ray Hollingsworth, the master builder whose tastes are a little old fashioned.

00:07We've got the lead light windows from a 200 year old mansion in Melbourne.

00:11So much so that he's just built his son a castle.

00:14I've never built a moat before.

00:16Looming over a quiet cul-de-sac in the south-west Victorian town of Warrnambool.

00:20The design was inspired by his son's love of all things medieval.

00:24A childhood thing to love knights and dragons and that carried through.

00:28This regal residence has a moat, a dungeon and even a keep.

00:32That's the front balcony in there and there's the keep.

00:35That really changed it from being a castle themed house to feeling more like a castle like building.

00:42And it just was the cherry on top.

00:45Almost every detail has a story.

00:47From the hanging skeletons to the drawbridge to the wrought iron fence.

00:51We had to get a forklift to lift it into position that is that heavy.

00:55And this used to be a cemetery fence.

00:58And the gargoyles, courtesy of Richard's brother, Nicholas.

01:01Water shoots out their mouth when it rains.

01:03The Hollingsworths are already a tight-knit clan.

01:06So close, in fact, Father Ray and son Richard are next door neighbours.

01:10And Richard and his brothers even run a business out of the castle.

01:14As a place to live and run a business and things, it's like a dream come true.

01:21While it's the perfect headquarters for the family's wargaming business, for Ray, it was a labour of love.

01:27Not too many people have the opportunity to do something like this for their children.

01:31We are the wind beneath their wings.

01:33Just to help them fly.

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