Back to the Castle

The Castle, room by room.

In the order you would meet them, from the drive to the towers. Each photograph is marked on the floor plan at the foot of the page.

The Castle's foyer: timber-clad walls, armchairs and a rug, and a lit doorway through to the far side — The foyer.Timber walls and somewhere to sit, with the courtyard through the far doors.

The foyer the other way: a tall timber wall, sliding barn doors and leather sofas — The foyer, the other way.Barn doors, a tall ceiling and room for everyone to arrive at once.

The theater: rows of dark seats rising towards a large screen with a low stage in front of it — The theater.Rows of seats facing the screen, with a stage in front of it.

The stage under the theater screen: a raised wooden stage with red and gold curtains, a hedge wall and a neon sign reading The Dungeon — The stage.Under the screen, curtained and lit, for anything that is not a film.

The indoor basketball court under bright lights, a pickleball net set up at centre court over painted lines — The basketball court.Full size, lined for pickleball, and here with the net up.

Two wooden candlepin bowling lanes under red curtains, with arcade machines along the left wall — The bowling lanes.Candlepin lanes, with arcade machines alongside.

An illuminated air hockey table in the basement, red curtains and arcade cabinets behind it — The arcade.Air hockey, with the arcade machines down the far end.

The selfie stage: a green hedge wall, a neon Hilltop Castle sign, a ring light and a lamp post — The selfie stage.At the foot of the basement stairs, lit for photographs.

A stone and timber room with iron chandeliers and a fireplace, one of the treasure hunt's hidden rooms — The treasure hunt.It starts in the treasure hunt room off the conference room, and the rest is hidden behind the walls.

A narrow rough-walled tunnel lit by wall torches — Further in.One of the passages between the hidden rooms.

The billiard room: two pool tables, arcade cabinets and a bar rail with stools under a wide window — The billiard room.Pool tables, arcade cabinets and bar stools, at the north end of the west wing.

A long game room with gaming chairs facing a row of wall-mounted screens — The game room.Gaming chairs facing a row of screens, off the west hall.

The conference room set up with long draped tables, windows on three sides and a fireplace at the far end — The conference room.Glass on three sides at the end of the west wing, set up larger or smaller as needed.

The yoga room: grey carpet, windows on three sides and a row of spin bikes — The yoga room.The glass room at the end of the east wing, with spin bikes along one side.

The living room: a long timber-clad hall lined with leather sofas under iron chandeliers — The living room.Long enough for sofas down both sides, at the north end of the east wing.

The dining room: long tables with red chairs down a bright room with wall sconces — The dining room.One room with the kitchen, so the whole group eats in a single sitting.

The kitchen: a long island, white cabinets and a wall of steel refrigerators — The kitchen.The other end of the same room, with an island and a wall of refrigerators.

The courtyard from above: blue pools and loungers on a pale deck inside the Castle's walls — The courtyard.The pools inside the walls, with bedroom doors opening onto the deck.

A pool lit blue at night, the lit windows of the Castle behind it — After dark.The pools lit up at night.

A queen bedroom with an arched upholstered headboard, a timber wall and a sliding door to the pool deck — Bedrooms 1 to 5 and 9 to 13 — ten of the same room.A row of queen rooms near enough identical that one photograph is the honest way to show them.

A bathroom with a glass bowl sink on a dark vanity and a glass-walled shower — Their bathrooms.Each has its own, with a walk-in shower.

A larger queen bedroom with an arched headboard, an armchair and a timber wall — Bedrooms 6 and 14.The larger queen rooms at either end of the bedroom row.

A bathroom with a green vanity, a toilet with a grab bar and a glass shower with a grab bar inside — Their bathrooms.Grab bars at the toilet and in the shower.

A bedroom with two queen beds against a reclaimed-timber wall — Bedrooms 8 and 16.Two queens each, one up each side of the courtyard.

Tower Suite 1: a king bed with an upholstered headboard, a dresser and an arched timber door — Tower Suite 1.A king, up its own spiral stair from the west corner.

Tower Suite 2: a king bed, armchairs and an arched timber door — Tower Suite 2.The same from the east corner.

A tower suite bathroom with a long double vanity and a walk-in shower — The tower bathrooms.A double vanity and a walk-in shower in each.

A curving timber staircase lit by wall torches — The stair to a tower suite.One in each front corner of the Castle.

The Castle from the lawn: a long pale stone front with a crenellated gatehouse and round corner towers — The Castle, from the lawn.The building you have just walked through, and where it sits on the hill.

The Castle's arched timber front doors behind a timber drawbridge deck lit by torches — The front door.Across a timber drawbridge from the drive.

The Castle's front under deep snow — Under snow.The same front in winter.

The Castle from the air: the courtyard and pools, the car park along the west wing, and the Mansion across the road — From above.The courtyard, the car park along the west wing, and the Mansion across the road.

The Mansion from the air, its long gabled roof and dormers above the lawn — The Mansion, across the roadThe other conference room, and the outdoor pool.

The Farmhouse from the drive: grey clapboard with red trim and a stone-fronted porch — The Farmhouse, below the hillDown the drive, and the one with the heated indoor pool.

The Lodge at Hilltop among the trees — The Lodge, at the bottomThe smallest of the four, and the one most often added for overflow.

Every room, and where it is.

All 18 bedrooms and 26 baths

Eighteen bedrooms around a courtyard and up in two towers, with the basement given over to games.

Download the floor plans to print (PDF)

The west wing

Main floor, west

Conference roomSet up larger or smaller as needed
Treasure hunt roomWhere the treasure hunt starts
Billiard room
Game room
Adult sitting room
Toddler play room
Half bath
Full bath
Bedroom 82 × QueenTwo queens
Bedroom 72 × Bunk, twin over twinTwo bunk beds
Full bath
West hall and stair to the basement
Laundry

2 bedrooms · sleeps 8

The bedroom row, west

Main floor, south-west

Bedroom 6Queen
Full bathGrab bars
Bedroom 5Queen
Full bath
Bedroom 4Queen
Full bath
Bedroom 3Queen
Full bath
Bedroom 2Queen
Full bath
Bedroom 1Queen
Full bath
FoyerFront doors on the drive, courtyard doors behind
Half bath
Half bath

6 bedrooms · sleeps 12

The bedroom row, east

Main floor, south-east

Half bath
Half bath
Bedroom 9Queen
Full bath
Bedroom 10Queen
Full bath
Bedroom 11Queen
Full bath
Bedroom 12Queen
Full bath
Bedroom 13Queen
Full bath
Bedroom 14Queen
Full bathGrab bars

6 bedrooms · sleeps 12

The east wing

Main floor, east

Yoga room
Living room
Dining room and kitchenOne room
Full bath
Bedroom 162 × QueenTwo queens
Bedroom 152 × Bunk, twin over twinTwo bunk beds
Full bath
Full bath
East hall

2 bedrooms · sleeps 8

The courtyard

Outside, in the courtyard

Pool deck
North pool
West pool
East pool

Sleeps 0

Tower Suite 1

Towers, west tower

Tower Suite 1King
Full bath
Spiral stair from the main floor
Hall

1 bedroom · sleeps 2

Tower Suite 2

Towers, east tower

Tower Suite 2King
Full bath
Spiral stair from the main floor
Hall

1 bedroom · sleeps 2

The Dungeon

Basement

Basketball courtLined for pickleball
Bowling lanesCandlepin
Arcade
Mini golf
Selfie stage
TheaterWith a stage in front of the screen
Half bath
Half bath

Sleeps 0