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A GRAND Designs homeowner has defended his £8 million fortress after frustrated villagers likened it to a “car park.”
When Piers Daniell embarked on building his dream home, a six-storey concrete and glass “castle,” he was aware it wouldn’t appeal to everyone.
Entrepreneur Piers and former police officer Emma invested £7.5 million in their Grand Designs homeCredit: Channel 4
The modern castle has stirred controversy in the Warwickshire villageCredit: Marc Giddings
What he didn’t anticipate was to become the most disliked person in his own village, with locals gathering in the town hall to watch his episode air.
The 43-year-old appeared on the show this week, asserting that his creation is a “monument” and that it was “not intended to be beautiful,” as reported by the Telegraph .
Neighbors have criticized the project, referring to it as a “multi-storey car park,” a “Soviet bunker,” and even a “prison.”
One individual described it as “the most repulsive, vain thing” they had ever seen.
However, Piers maintained that the project was not focused on aesthetics; it was about “legacy.”
He stated: “I don’t really care what people think of me.”
“Comparing it to Auschwitz was a bit excessive,” he admitted. “But I anticipated the criticism.”
Piers and his wife Emma, a deputy crime commissioner, dedicated four years to creating their modernist home in Wixford.
The couple invested an astonishing £7.5 million into the project, exceeding their budget by £5.5 million.
The tech entrepreneur and his wife demolished an 18th Century folly, an old decorative building, to construct the new development on the site.
Piers expressed his desire to prevent developers from erecting a bland structure in the countryside surrounding them.
After acquiring the site for £1.4 million, they aimed to build something bold and contemporary, utilizing recycled materials.
“I didn’t want to create a faux Tudor house for my daughters to grow up in,” he remarked.
The iconic local landmark was originally built on the advice of the Prince Regent to Lord and Lady Hertford at the end of the 17th century.
During the show, one neighbor commented: “I’m absolutely astonished. I can’t believe they would demolish such a lovely building.”
The couple shared their dream of living there with their two children on the show.
The hosts' bewilderment was evident, as he has been presenting the show for 25 years.
He remarked to the couple: “You’d have to be out of your mind to build something like this.”
The design incorporates recycled materials and features a wind turbine, aiming to make the home nearly net-zero.
The couple faced numerous setbacks, including asbestos contamination, inclement weather, COVID delays, and the collapse of their brick supplier.
Costs soared to £100,000 a month, forcing Piers to sell properties and remortgage to sustain the project.
By 2023, they were £1 million over budget and struggling to secure additional funding.
He even had to tap into his mother’s pension to keep the project afloat.
They sold a smaller “test house” on the site for £2.5 million, but the sale did not cover the full construction costs.
After four years of building and countless unpaid invoices, the unfinished castle was listed for sale.
If the couple completes the project, it will be the first castle constructed in the UK in a century.
Despite the criticism and financial pressure, Piers emphasized that the project is about creating something enduring for his family.
The ‘brutalist’ fortress appeared on Grand Designs this weekCredit: Marc Giddings
Piers Daniell, the tech entrepreneur behind the controversial projectCredit 
