English castle on the market for less than Sydney's median house price

What could be England’s tiniest castle looks set to be snapped up for less than your average Sydney home.

While it’s got nothing on Buckingham Palace’s grandeur, the fairytale home – listed for £550,000 ($963,000) – costs less than Sydney’s $1.15 million median house price.

Known as Molly’s Lodge, the one-bedroom home in the Cotswolds region has regal features such as turrets and merlons, a spiral staircase and cast-iron fireplace.

According to the listing the Victorian-era house has only 73 square metres of internal floor space, but it does boast a “limestone facade, corner turrets, mullion windows and a crenellated parapet”.

The home sits on a quarter-hectare block, which also includes a “Mews” cottage, lawns, a greenhouse, an orchard, a pond, vegetable patches and a chicken run – so the buyer will be getting two properties for less than this one bedroom Surry Hills home that recently sold for $1.25 million.

The castle was built in the 1830s by Queen Victoria’s architect Edward Blore, who extended Buckingham Palace and restored the Lambeth Palace. 

It has had work done since then and has rendered white walls and a modern kitchen and bathroom. Further works on the property would be subject to the building’s heritage status.

While not referring to the home as a castle, Iain Powis from Savills said in a statement that the home was courting a lot of interest from downsizers.

“Molly’s Lodge is certainly a unique Grade II [heritage] listed home and there really isn’t much else like it in the area,” he said. 

“The Cotswolds has a real breadth of architectural styles with everything from pretty thatched cottages through to grand manor houses and rectories, but this Gate Lodge offers something completely different.”

And it’s looks like it’s about to be snapped up by a lucky buyer, with the property now under offer.

As the old adage goes, a man’s home is his castle – this time it’s actually true.