Robert's Castle
Robert Fidler’s castle – but no planning permission!
We have a saying in English that an Englishman’s home is his castle. What exactly does it mean? Some people say that it means that you can do anything you like in your own home. But that isn’t true. You are not allowed to kill people in your home, for example. Perhaps it means that you can decide whom to allow into your home. If you say no, then they have to stay outside. But that isn’t true either. The police, for example, sometimes have the right to come into your house even if you don’t want them to.
So perhaps the saying just means that English people like to think about their home as a castle. It is safe, secure and private. It is my place. It is not anyone else’s place!
Robert Fidler is a farmer in Surrey, which is a county south of London. He wanted to build a castle on his farm as a home for himself and his family. Unfortunately, in Britain you cannot build a castle, or any other building, anywhere you want. You need to get planning permission (sometimes called planning consent) first. So Robert Fidler applied for planning permission. The local authority said no. Robert Fidler’s farm is in the Green Belt, which is the area around big cities where new houses and other buildings are generally not allowed. The Green Belt stops towns and cities from getting too big and destroying the open countryside. So Robert Fidler could not build his castle.
However, Robert decided to build the castle anyway, without planning consent. First, he built a high wall with bales of straw. If you are a farmer, like Robert was, you can do almost anything as long as it is agricultural, and bales of straw are definitely agricultural. Behind the wall of straw, where no-one could see, Robert Fidler built his castle, or rather his house which looked like a castle. There is a picture of it on the website. It has two round towers, with ramparts on the top. The newspapers said that the castle also had cannons, but I cannot find a picture of them.
Robert finished his house in 2002. He moved in with his wife and small son. When they looked out of their windows, all they could see was the wall of straw, but they did not mind. Birds built their nests in the straw, and it was fun to watch them. Besides, it was vital to keep the castle secret. They hoped that after four years, they would be allowed to keep the castle, even without planning permission.
In 2006, Robert removed the wall of straw, and now everyone could see the remarkable house which he had built. The local authority were horrified. They told Robert that he had to demolish the house. He refused. The local authority started legal action. Last week a judge agreed with the local authority and said that Robert’s castle had to go. But Robert Fidler will continue fighting, and says that he will go to the European Court of Human Rights if necessary. He told the newspapers, “This house will never be knocked down. This is a beautiful house that has been lovingly created. I will do whatever it takes to keep it.”
Knocking a building down – will this happen to Robert Fidler’s castle?
So, should Robert be allowed to keep his castle, or should it be knocked down? Some people say that it is a really nice building and that it would be wrong to demolish it and leave Robert and his family with nowhere to live. Other people say that everyone else has to obey the planning laws, and it would be unfair to make an exception in this case. What do you think?
Our phrasal verb this week is “to knock down”. If you knock down a house, or a wall, or a building, it means that you demolish it. You use a big hammer, or a machine, to hit the walls until they fall down and there is nothing left except a pile of bricks and stones. The local authority have told Robert Fidler that he must knock his house down. He says that it will never be knocked down. OK?
There is a quiz on the website. Have fun.
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Comments (29)
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29 May 2010
oh forgot to say if they make you give it away il take it
29 May 2010
hi let him keep his castle agree to never sell it only hand it down , i think his punishment should be a couple of hours a week community service with an archutec . good man and good luck.
16 May 2010
I think the castle should not be knocked down, but Robert's family should move out nonetheless.
The castle could then be used as a boarding house for students, or a youth hostel run by the CIty Council. The Council would inheritate a property at no expense, no refund being given to Robert's The Minx.
This way, nobody would be tempted to use his trick to build anything without a permit consent.
Then, this family would have to reflect on their attitude towards the law by seeing other people using their home in a way they certainly didn't expect.
26 March 2010
Good story, send me another please. Thank you!
16 March 2010
May be my opinion will be shown you boring and officially, but I think the authority must display a strict character and demolish the castle in further time. First of all, because it's unfair according to other honest citizens, and then because it's possible that other people, inspired by his expirenise, will build a castles, and small cattages, and giang palaces in the Green Zone of towns. I'm from Moscow, and in Russia it would be so withot any doubts :)
21 February 2010
I think this is one of my searching on net.I chose that because thanks to them , our understanding and hearing vocabulary improves.
21 February 2010
I think he has to knock down his castle because it's not legal. if it exist, there will be the second and third castle and perhars in the near future, " the castles" destroys the open countryside. Law is not exception.
15 February 2010
Personal i think, is not humane to knock down his castel(home) becouse he sought to get planning permission, but authorites had refuse him. They do not have right to knock d!!own even if the low permit to do that. We have exception in this life!!!
15 February 2010
Thank you so much. It's very good story. It's a good idea to practice. Send me another.
By!
14 February 2010
Thank you for your job. We can improve our English listen your voice. Thank you very much !!!
Bye
14 February 2010
I agrre with Robert because everybody should have its own house, but really I think that the rules are the same for everybody.
It sounds like a fairy tale, at the beginning of couse.
Good articles.
13 February 2010
I think Robert Fidler should have had a permissions anyway. Now he should be punished (?) but in my point of view knoking the castle down isn't the best way to do it.
13 February 2010
I think Robert Fidler should have had a permissions anyway. Now he should be punished (?) but in my point of view knoking the castle down isn't the best way to do it.
10 February 2010
Hi Sir, Hai All
It is a cute castle.
But ..It is no fair if the local government let that castle be there, Only because on the name of "lovely thing builed" .. or any reasoned give.
That Planning Permission come first than the castle isn't it ?
And it is not fair for people who has eagerness ahve their own castle as like Mr. Robert ... The Peoples who obey the rule, respect for local government law … They are good people aren't they ?
Lukman M
Remote Island of Indonesia
9 February 2010
Dear sir…
I wonder somthing? ?s the man and his family are living there without electricity or water or waste pipe or the other infrastructures …where does he find them ? really wonder… I think some has been allowed him secretly and they provide this supplies for him… so interesting… ?s it common in Englang to take or give birbe? ?f you say no. ?t is indeed very hard for me to understand to build a home , sorry a castle, secretly it is more hard to get phone line water and electricity , gas and the other vital things….
bye now
adem
9 February 2010
It's so interesting how we can not run away from some human rules, I mean, people know that they must present a planning permission to build their houses, but, in the other hand, the taxes and prices we need to pay for it is sometimes so high that does not any chance of choose.
What should the authorities do? Maybe, the government should buy Robert's house and transform it into a museum or something like that and buy another one to him. Thus, they will have the necessity of breaking down this beautiful and worthly castle.
9 February 2010
I think as is instead of knocking down this caste, the goverment buy it and transform it as a nice musuem, and they have give him fine because he obey the laws.
8 February 2010
There are too many people living in the western world. If all of these many people decided to break the law and build houses without planning consent, very soon there would be no forests or farms left – just houses everywhere. What an ugly place England would be without green space. And where would all the birds and animals live?
8 February 2010
Castle has to go! I can imagine all those horrified birds watching mr Robert knocking down the straw fence and their nests with it! Where they will go probably did not bother cruel and dishonest mr Robert.
But they managed somehow probably. So will mr Robert! Cannons on the roof are fake, I bet and will not help against police forcing their way through windows smashing them with stones and hammers. Mr Robert will be arrested and given bill to pay for demolish company. Live is cruel but it must be. Law enforcement is vital for democracy. Naive mr Robert thought he lives in American Old West but he cannot be much more mistaken.
8 February 2010
I think this building should be given to people who need this place for example charity activities or orphanages. It was very expensive to build this castle, so why we shuldn't make something useful of this builiding:)
8 February 2010
I think this building should be given to people who need this place for example charity activities or orphanages. It was very expensive to build this castle, so why we shuldn't make something useful of this builiding:)
8 February 2010
Castle has to go! I can imagine all those horrified birds watching mr Robert knocking down the straw fence and their nests with it! Where they will go probably did not bother cruel and dishonest mr Robert.
But they managed somehow probably. So will mr Robert! Cannons on the roof are fake, I bet and will not help against police forcing their way through windows smashing them with stones and hammers. Mr Robert will be arrested and given bill to pay for demolish company. Live is cruel but it must be. Law enforcement is vital for democracy. Naive mr Robert thought he lives in American Old West but he cannot be much more mistaken.
8 February 2010
I think that castle shoud be knocked down or we'll encourage other people to disobey law.
8 February 2010
Although it would be a shame to knock such betiful building down, everybody must stick to rules and I think no exceptions can be made whatsoever.
8 February 2010
I think he should look for a new castle in the case of human rights can't do anything for him .
It's difficult to leave the first home but sometimes it become necessary .
Wonderful podcast Peter and your voice is charming , Thanks a lot
8 February 2010
Yes, indeed, we should obey the laws and if I were him I wouldnot build the castle without the permission. Anyway I must say that the Castle of Robert is attractive!
8 February 2010
There are too many people living in the western world. If all of these many people decided to break the law and build houses without planning consent, very soon there would be no forests or farms left – just houses everywhere. What an ugly place England would be without green space. And where would all the birds and animals live?
8 February 2010
I hope not.
this building looks so beautiful
thanks Peter we have learned a new phrasal verb
8 February 2010
Yes,I think that is horrible indeed. To see family`s house knocking down. I`m always watching in the news lots of phalestinians houses that have been knocked down by big bulldozers and machines.Not because they did not get the planning consent but they are not allowed to live in peace.