In the midst of the UK’s escalating housing crisis, many individuals without a roof over their heads have resorted to constructing makeshift shelters to stay warm and dry. However, one former soldier who found himself without a home took his situation to an extraordinary level by erecting a castle with the meticulous skill of a dry-stone waller.
Welshman Mikey Allen had been living rough for around eighteen months when he decided to build his fortress in 2019, nestled in the Gwent mountains near Caerphilly.
His story came to light during an appearance on urban explorer David Burnip’s Wandering Turnip YouTube channel, where Mikey shared the motivation behind his remarkable feat of construction. He said: “I had a military Bergen, a big heavy-duty bag for your back.”
To add challenge to his routine, he would load the massive rucksack with stones weighing between 30 to 60kg. He explained: “If I’m having a bad time I come up here, and collecting stones is just a way of burning off anger.”
Mikey revealed that the castle project began as a New Year’s resolution. He added: “You come up here do a load of stone runs, keep going till you’re physically exhausted and if you do that for a month then you’ve got a big pile of stone.”
“When you’re happy again, you’re free to be creative and build as you please,” he said, highlighting the therapeutic aspect of his endeavour.
While Mikey’s grand design has won the admiration of the local community and he had the landowner’s consent to build it, he has unfortunately faced resistance from the local council.
Mikey’s castle, he says, has become a victim of its own success. He explained: “The Council have deemed that the land is for agricultural purposes and because it’s had 10,000 visitors they’re saying that the land is now used for recreational purposes.
“They’re demanding that the castle is gone, all the benches are gone and I make the land as if it was never touched.”
This leaves Caerphilly Castle, some 15 miles away, as the nearest major stone fortification. Built by English nobleman Gilbert de Clare in the 13th century, that probably didn’t have planning permission either.
During its brief existence, Mikey’s castle became a favourite picnic spot for local families, especially during the lockdown period.
They’d come and sit in socially-distanced groups and watch as he steadily went to and fro with his backpack full of stones and laid each one in place. He says he’s been through 14 bags, wearing them out with the non-stop construction project.
Mikey is now steadily removing the hundreds of tons of stone in accordance with the council’s wishes. In its time, he says, his short-lived castle played host to a Welsh Male Voice Choir, and even had seven donkeys on its roof.
But local officials insist that the building is not safe and has to come down. A Caerphilly County Borough Council spokesman told Wales Online: “We are sympathetic to the background to this development and we recognise the level of support that Mr Allen has attracted during this project.”
“However, as local planning authority, we must enforce planning laws consistently. We have a duty to enforce current legislation, therefore it is important that the council applies a fair and consistent approach to all planning breaches.”
“We will continue to work with Mr Allen, along with the owner of the land, to ensure that the requirements listed in the enforcement notice are carried out as quickly as possible.”