Castles aren’t a common sight in Texas, but in the heart of Bellville sits a magnificent castle settled in amongst the hills and forests of Austin County. Newman’s Castle is just the place for a day trip outside of Brazos Valley.
Designed and built by Newman’s Bakery owner, Mike Newman, the plan wasn’t always to make a castle into a home, but one evening with a bottle of wine and his thoughts led Newman to the idea, and in 1998, the castle was founded.
“I didn’t think of building a castle when I first bought the property,” Newman says. “I originally thought of building a log cabin or a Texas [ranch house]. My imagination gets carried away with me sometimes and I had the idea to build a castle and that idea made me smile a lot.”
After having grown up in Bellville, Newman wanted to stick to his roots and live out in the country. He had made an investment out there in the form of Newman’s Bakery, and later, in the plot of land he bought to build Newman’s Castle, though the two endeavors were not directly related.
“I built the castle as my own private residence, my home,” Newman says. “I never had any intention of opening it as a tourist site.”
Newman built the castle from scratch, with only the help of one other assistant. He didn’t want to hire a contractor to make his vision come true and trusted that he could do the job just as fine. The castle features a moat, a massive working 3,000 pound drawbridge with an accompanying portcullis, a chapel, five round corner turrets, a courtyard, and a central keep with a dramatic view of the surrounding lands, according to the Newman’s Castle Facebook page.
“I pretty much designed it by myself and did the construction by myself,” Newman says. “I was getting up early in the morning to work on it and sneaking out the back of the bakery to work on it in the evenings.”
Once the castle was finished, Newman had no intentions of opening the castle to the public until he was contacted by someone with the Harris County Bus Program who wanted to shuttle a group of seniors to see the castle.
“It’s a great way to promote the bakery and it brings a lot of joy to the people who come out here on the tours,” Newman says. “We have had people come out in car loads to see the castle and it’s always fun to watch the kids come out here and run around.”
Newman’s Castle is available for day tours six days a week and special events. The castle hosts weddings, wine tastings, birthday parties, and any other special occasion. Tours of the castle can be about an hour and a half to two hours and include a lunch as well as the opportunity to ask Newman any questions about the castle and its various architecture.
For more information on Newman’s Castle or to book a tour or event, visit https://www.facebook.com/Newmans-Castle-115532331859722/.
