In Victoria’s south-west, one man has taken the phrase “a man’s home is his castle” to a whole new level.
The three-storey stone building, complete with a keep and a moat, certainly stands out in its quiet suburban cul-de-sac in the coastal city of Warrnambool, and has the potential to become a minor tourist attraction.
But for Ray Hollingsworth, it is also his most personal construction yet.
A builder for more than five decades, Ray loves taking on one-of-a-kind creative projects. And there’s nothing more “one of a kind” than creating a home for your son that is straight out of a fantasy book.
Ray Hollingsworth says it is the most unique build of his long career. (ABC News: Olivia Sanders)
A family affair
Ray built the castle as a home for the eldest of his three sons, Richard, but says it serves as a home base for all of them, who grew up loving all things medieval.
“It can be a childhood thing to love knights and dragons and medieval and fantasy stories,” he says.
Richard Hollingsworth loves all things knights; even his 2025 wedding was medieval themed. (ABC News: Olivia Sanders)
That love carried through to adulthood, leading the brothers to start their own tabletop war-gaming business.
Ray says he figured his sons needed an appropriate headquarters for the operation.
The Hollingsworth brothers run a tabletop war-game business out of the castle’s basement. (ABC News: Olivia Sanders)
“I said, ‘Let’s just build a castle,’ and so we built a castle,” he says.
Adding ‘flair’ with medieval design
It has taken the better part of three years to complete, but in almost every corner of this regal abode fit for a fantasy fanatic, there is a story to tell.
The wrought-iron fencing is repurposed from a Victorian cemetery, the entry-way doors come from an old church a town over, and the Axminster carpet took months to arrive from England.
Ray Hollingsworth finally has the perfect place to display a full suit of armour he received as a birthday gift. (ABC News: Olivia Sanders)
“It’s all added great flair as we’ve gone along,” Ray says.
Richard says the design constantly evolved, and his father never failed to make a new idea work.
“The keep was a later addition that really changed it from a castle-themed house to feeling more like a castle-like building,” Richard says.
“It really was the cherry on top.”
“There’s no regulations in Australia for a keep, so we had to call it an attic,” Ray adds.
Fake skeletons adorned with leg-irons and handcuffs from Pentridge Prison hang on the dungeon walls. (ABC News: Olivia Sanders)
At the back of the house is a games room dubbed “the dungeon”, where skeletons hang in leg irons and chains from Melbourne’s infamous Pentridge Prison.
Richard’s brother Nicholas even designed and 3D-printed gargoyles to attach to the castle’s exterior.
“Water shoots out [of] their mouth when it’s raining,” Richard says.
3D-printed gargoyles are scattered around the exterior of the home. (ABC News: Olivia Sanders)
‘A dream come true’
Ray is among an elite group of Australian builders who hold the title of master builder, a position reserved for those who produce the highest quality construction work and which can only be obtained through a series of stringent checks.
He says he has always loved unique builds, but this one was truly special.
“I’ve built a lot of different homes over the years, and this time I was allowed to build what I wanted, however I wanted to, and that’s why I just went nuts on this one,” Ray says.
“I’ve never built a moat before, so there’s things that we had to learn as we went along.
“This is my first castle.”
The Hollingsworths say they are a close-knit family, so much so that Richard and Ray are neighbours. (ABC News: Olivia Sanders)
But beyond being creatively fulfilling, for Ray, the project has been a labour of love for his sons.
“We’ve always been a very close family, that’s why I did it for them,” Ray says.
“Not too many people have the opportunity to do something like this for their children; we are the wind beneath their wings, just to help them fly.”
As for Richard, he and his wife moved in a few months ago, and he says they cannot imagine a more perfect home.
“As a place to live and run a business, it’s like a dream come true,” he says.