Game of Thrones star Rose Leslie’s childhood castle is on the market. Lickleyhead Castle, near Insch in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, is listed for offers over £1.15 million (about $1.54 million) — a striking figure for a property with eight bedrooms, 5,550 square feet and 11 acres, until you remember what a 400-year-old castle costs to maintain. Leslie, who played Ygritte in Game of Thrones, spent the first ten years of her life at Lickleyhead with her siblings. The castle has belonged to the Leslie clan on and off since before the 13th century, and its recent history — repossession, a cut-price sale, and a second life as a holiday let — is as dramatic as anything on screen.
Rose Leslie House: Quick Facts
- Property: Lickleyhead Castle, near Insch, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
- Asking price: offers over £1.15 million (~$1.54 million)
- Size: ~5,550 sq ft, 4 storeys, 11 acres
- Bedrooms: 8 (five with en-suite bathrooms)
- Built: oldest part 1580, majority 17th century
- Grounds: 3-bedroom cottage, walled garden, rose garden, ice house, hot tub
- History: Leslie family home for generations; repossessed 2019; sold for £650,000; run since as a luxury holiday let and events venue
Inside the castle
The castle is a modest L-plan tower house by castle standards, but its interiors are the real draw: a stone spiral staircase, exposed stone and wood panelling, a great hall with a walk-in fireplace now divided into living and dining areas, an Adams-style fireplace in the sitting room, a library and butler’s pantry off the great hall, and a dining kitchen with an Aga, granite worktops and exposed stone. There is also a private chapel, and several bedrooms carry names linked to families associated with the castle, such as the Duff and Bartholf rooms. The separate three-bedroom cottage, already renovated, plus the walled and rose gardens, make the estate work as both a family home and a venue — which is exactly how it has been run in recent years.
Two castles, don’t mix them up
One clarification matters for fans: Lickleyhead is not the castle where Leslie married Kit Harington. That was Wardhill Castle, the larger and older family estate nearby in Inverurie, where the couple — who met playing Jon Snow and Ygritte — held their wedding in June 2018. Wardhill has its own recent drama, with Harington reportedly providing a loan in 2026 to help pause liquidation proceedings for the company behind it. Lickleyhead’s story is separate: repossessed from Leslie’s father Sebastian in 2019 after mortgage difficulties, sold for £650,000, and now back on the market at nearly double that figure. For buyers, the appeal is obvious — a genuine 16th-century castle for the price of a city flat — and so is the warning: as Leslie’s own family has said, these are very expensive properties to maintain.
FAQ
How much is Rose Leslie’s childhood castle for sale for?
Offers over £1.15 million, about $1.54 million, through Savills.
Where is Lickleyhead Castle?
Near Insch in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on an 11-acre estate.
Did Rose Leslie grow up at Lickleyhead?
She spent the first ten years of her life there with her four siblings. The family’s older estate, Wardhill Castle, is where she married Kit Harington.
Why is the castle so cheap for its size?
Age and upkeep: a 16th-century castle costs far more to maintain than a modern house, and the property was repossessed in 2019 before selling for £650,000.
