The magical estate where some scenes from the Lord of the Rings trilogy were filmed is up for sale in New Zealand. The new owner can now purchase the property for US$5.2 million.
The New Zealand estate known as Fernside dates back to the late 19th century when the property was owned by the wealthy Elgar family. When the house on the estate burned down, the Elgars commissioned architect Heathcote Helmore to design a new home.
Built in Georgian style in 1924, Wellington Castle includes eight bedrooms, six bathrooms, a drawing room, a sunroom, a dining room, a library, and a flower room. But it also has a shoe room and a wine cellar.
Architectural features include oak and jara wood floors, original tiles, a fireplace and elevator, but the “maid’s bells” have been preserved, reports Dirt.com.
The property, currently 892 square metres, remained in the Elgar family’s possession until 1949, when it was sold to the US Embassy. It served as the ambassador’s home and reception for several years. In the mid-1950s, ownership of the property changed again, and the building began steadily declining. This continued until 2007, when the current owners began years of renovation work.
The renovation also extended to the approximately 4.8 hectare Fernside Garden, which has been restored to its original splendor with the help of charts and photographs from the 1930s. The peculiarity of the private garden is that it has many different small rooms. Examples include a fountain garden, rose garden, chess garden, and a Victorian sunken garden.
The estate also includes an ancient woodland area inhabited by oak, cedar, elm, poplar, and willow trees.
In addition to the main building, the property also has a garage for three cars, a workshop, a log cabin and a separate guest house. The latter was originally a mobile and stable home, but the converted two-storey building now has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, laundry room and an open plan living-dining room.
However, the main attraction of the property is the lake located in the property. This was used as a location in two films of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The featured image of our article is an illustration.
