Phareloch Castle (1959 to date)

By 1959, the property was owned by Joseph Bauernschmidt
of Long Island, but was left abandoned to vandals who broke
100 windows, ripped out light fixtures and smashed plumbing
fixtures. In 1961 it was sold to Kathryn B. Crofts who left
the castle on 8 acres with the remaining 142 acres set aside
for subdivision.

In 1965, the building became the property of two builders,
Andrew Woehrel and Al Grosch. In 1970, the castle was
leased to a private school, Chartwell Manor, which stayed
for one year before moving to a new site in Mendham. The
headmaster of the school, Terrence M. Lynch "Sir", of
Scotland was convicted of molesting his students, and is
currently  incarcerated for additional crimes of molesting
three adults. The website link is a support group and chat
room for those who attended Chartwell Manor School.

In 1972 disaster struck when the Woehrels' sons set a fire in
the fireplace. According to reports at the time, the boys had
been helping Woehrel paint the interior of the castle on the
night before the fire, in preparation for a visit by a
prospective purchaser. Woehrel left to go home, and the
boys, and two of their friends retired in sleeping bags near a
burning fireplace on the first floor. Ashes from the fire
ignited the paneling on the floor and the fire raged out of
control destroying 80 per cent of the castle, leaving just
stone and steel.

The owners declared bankruptcy and the property went to
the auction block where it was bought for $43,000 by Donald
Burlingame and his wife. The castle was open to the sky,
with pipes exposed and the ground floor completely covered
with debris. Burlingame began the restoration with the
seven-room attached cottage at the rear of the castle,
formerly the servants quarters, replacing the roof, and inner
and outer walls using photographs given to him by Chartwell
Manor School. But the job proved too much, and too
costly,with only half the work completed the Burlingames
moved to Costa Rica in 1993.

The property was sold to Richard and Nadine Peacock, and
in 2000 was bought by its current owner. He has pledged to
continue the renovation process and has "great plans to
restore the castle and would do so brick by brick, stone by
stone."
Phareloch Castle
Phareloch Castle
Phareloch Castle, 1 Shadowbrook Lane, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920                                 Email: webmaster@pharelochcastle.com
Phareloch Castle
Links
Photographs courtesy of
Chartwell Manor School