UK courts to tear down farmer's secret castle

Robert Fidler is an English farmer who wanted to live in a castle. Wishing to bypass all of the hassle of getting his plans approved by the UK government, he secretly went ahead and built his own castle, hiding it behind bales of hay and a tarp. There is a clause in British law that an unapproved abode can remain standing if it's been lived in for more than four years, so Fidler and his family moved into the castle, secretly lived there for four years, and hoped for the best.

Sadly, the UK courts have ruled that the castle must be destroyed. Fidler plans to appeal, but things don't look promising for him. The structure features stained glass windows, ramparts and even a cannon, and if life was like cheeky English comedies you know that when the bulldozers come to knock down his home, Fidler would take to the roof and drive them off with volley after volley of cannon fire.

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