A nine-bedroom castle in Connecticut – which comes complete with its own moat, elevator, and glass tower – has gone up for sale for $60 million, after being turned into a viral TikTok sensation by the 17-year-old who grew up there with her steel heir father.
Located in Woodstock, the extravagant 18,000-square-foot home has blown the internet away in recent months, after resident Christina Mark started sharing clips of herself inside it on the video streaming platform.
The castle, which sits on 400 acres of land, is owned by Christina’s father, Christopher Mark – who came up with the idea, designed the plans for it, and had it built in the early 2000s.
‘We bought the property in 2001, and then started building in 2003. It was mostly complete by 2010,’ Christina told Insider.
As for how the idea for the castle came about, Christina explained that she and her sister were the ones to inspire their dad to build it.
A nine bedroom castle in Connecticut – which comes complete with its own moat – has gone up for sale for $60 million, after being turned into a viral TikTok sensation by the 17-year-old who grew up there with her steel heir father
Located in Woodstock, the extravagant 18,000-square-foot home has blown the internet away in recent months, after resident Christina Mark (pictured) started sharing clips of herself inside it to the video streaming platform
The castle, which sits on 400-acres of land, is owned by father Christopher Mark – who came up with the idea, designed the plans for it, and had it built in the early 2000s
As for how the idea for the castle came about, Christina explained that she and her sister were the ones to inspire their dad to build it, after they dressed up like princesses. ‘He just wanted our dream to come true,’ she gushed
The moved into the luxurious mansion in 2010, when she was seven or eight years old. And according to Christina, her dad played a hand in almost every aspect of building the castle
He worked with architects and incorporated his own ideas into the final structure. He even purchased his own boat manufacturer throughout the process, so he could more easily acquire wood from different parts of the world
Christopher is a descendant of steel tycoon Clayton Mark. He founded his own figurine company called Mark Miniatures, which have been sold in Bergdorf Goodman and other big retail stores over the years. He is pictured with his two pet camels
He furnished the castle with many items from Europe, while other pieces were custom-made specifically for the grand home in his factory
She revealed: ‘My sister and I, when we were younger, we would dress up like princesses, and he just wanted our dream to come true.
‘Our ancestors have castles in Ireland, so we wanted to keep the idea going in our generation now too.’
They moved into the luxurious mansion when she was seven or eight years old. And according to Christina, her dad played a hand in almost every aspect of building the castle – working with architects and incorporating his own ideas into the final structure.
He even purchased his own boat manufacturer throughout the process, so he could more easily acquire wood from different parts of the world.
Christopher is a descendant of steel tycoon Clayton Mark, who ‘utilized unique ways of crafting steel pipe, water wells, and many other elements of infrastructural architecture,’ according to the castle’s website.
As for Christopher, he founded his own figurine company called Mark Miniatures, which have been sold in Bergdorf Goodman and other big retail stores over the years.
He furnished the castle with many items from Europe, while other pieces were custom-made specifically for the grand home in his factory.
‘They were handcrafted in my dad’s factory in Putnam. And that’s where he made all of the parts for the castle, in his metal and wood shop,’ Christina said.
The 18,000-square-foot castle has nine bedrooms in total, as well as seven full bathrooms and three half bathrooms
The grand entranceway is certainly fit for a king or queen, containing two large elephant statues and a curtain draping across the archway that leads into the kitchen
As for the spacious kitchen, it’s filled with up-to-date appliances as well as a column-turned-spice rack, two different ovens, ample counter space, and an island in the center
The wood inlaid floors throughout the castle were built with over 25 species of hardwoods imported from around the world
The house also has stain glass windows, radiant flooring, central air, 12 fireplaces, and heated decks, per its Zillow listing
In one of the bathrooms sits a large set of jacuzzies with a waterfall, which Christina regularly posts videos and pictures in
The 18,000-square-foot castle has nine bedrooms in total, as well as seven full bathrooms and three half bathrooms, radiant flooring, central air, 12 fireplaces, heated decks, and towers rising 126 feet into the sky – including one made entirely out of glass, per its Zillow listing.
It spans across seven floors, with a large spiral staircase taking you from the top to the bottom, as well as an elevator for those who don’t feel like walking.
Outside, there is a 30-acre pond, as well as a moat and a pool.
The wood inlaid floors throughout the castle were built with over 25 species of hardwoods imported from around the world.
Stained glass is also found in the home. And in the 4,500-square-foot basement, there’s an at-home bar, a recording studio, a raised stage, and a full auditorium.
Elsewhere on the property is a maids’ apartment, which the Marks used to house their in-laws. The Marks also own two camels, which live on the property.
‘There’s a bunch of features that I love, but probably the most shocking is the glass dome at the top,’ gushed Christina.
‘Because when you’re up there, it’s all glass and you can see three floors down because there’s glass in the three floors below it, too.’
In one of the bathrooms sits a large set of jacuzzies with a waterfall, which Christina regularly posts videos and pictures in.
Throughout the lavish home, there are many unique sculptures – some of which were inspired by Christina and her sister.
Throughout the lavish home, which spans across seven floors, there are many unique sculptures – some of which were inspired by Christina and her sister
Outside, there is a 30-acre pond, as well as a moat and a pool
Elsewhere on the property is an at-home bar, a recording studio, a raised stage, a full auditorium, a maids’ apartment, and towers rising 126 feet into the sky – including one made out of all glass
‘When we were younger, we had to open our mouth[s] really wide, so someone could carve our face into clay,’ she recalled.
‘The Woodstock Castle offers the opportunity of a lifetime to own a dream come true,’ the listing reads.
‘[It’s a] stunning one of a kind property built to amaze and capture the imagination of the individual who relishes outstanding craftsmanship and superior design.’
The castle has been on the market since 2014, when it was originally listed for $45 million.
Chris eventually slashed the price to $39 million, before removing it in 2016. He then put it back on sale in November for $35 million.
But now, after Christina posted a few clips of the castle to her TikTok account which went viral, he has raised the selling price to a whopping $60 million.
Listing agent John Pizzi of Randall Realtors told the New York Post that Chris has plans to use the money he makes from the sale to build another castle.
John said that ‘the owner is relocating out of state and he thought he would build another castle, and in talking to architects and engineers’ he realized he would need in the ballpark of $60 million to construct another medieval-mansion.
The castle has been on the market since 2014, when it was originally listed for $45 million. Chris eventually slashed the price to $39 million, before removing it in 2016. He then put it back on sale in November for $35 million
But now, after Christina (pictured in the home) posted a few clips of the castle to her TikTok account which went viral, he has raised the selling price to a whopping $60 million
Christina often posted clips of herself dancing in front of the gaping castle, as well as videos of herself answering questions about it, giving tours, and showing off its many amenities
Her most viral video got over six million views and showed her enjoying the master bathroom and its many hot tubs
Christina added that now that she and her sister are headed off to college, her dad is ready to make a change.
‘It’s because my sister is in college and I’ll be going to college next year,’ she said, when asked why he decided to put the house on the market.
‘We’re moving out, and he doesn’t want to just be there by himself if we’re not using it.’
According to Christina, it took her a long time to get used to living in such an extraordinary place.
‘I actually didn’t like the castle at first, because people judged me and just wanted to be my friend because of it. So I would keep it a secret,’ she shared.
‘But since my dad spent so much time building this for our family, I wanted to possibly make it a business in the future.
‘So I wanted to help him out and that’s why I took the year off to help him promote the castle, and get it some exposure.’
Besides her own social media accounts – where she has more than 25,000 followers – Christina also runs a TikTok and Instagram dedicated to showing off the castle.
On this account, she has gained more than 340,000 followers and eight million likes across her videos – often leaving her followers in awe.
She has posted clips of herself dancing in front of the gaping castle, as well as videos of herself giving tours, answering questions about it, and showing off its many amenities.
Her most viral video got over six million views and showed her enjoying the master bathroom and its many hot tubs.
According to Christina, it took her a long time to get used to living in such an extraordinary place. She said: ‘People judged me and just wanted to be my friend because of it. So I would keep it a secret’
But as she got older she began to embrace it and took a year off of school to help her dad promote the castle online. ‘Since my dad spent so much time building this for our family, I wanted to possibly make it a business in the future,’ she explained
Listing agent John Pizzi of Randall Realtors told the New York Post that Chris has plans to use the money he makes from the sale to build another castle
‘This property is an optimal fit for a person who wants a lifestyle change: not an ordinary run-of-the-mill home or estate, something unique and exceptional,’ listing agent John previously told CT Insider
‘Owning a castle may not be for everyone, but who wouldn’t enjoy the life of a king and queen?’ John asked
Christina’s TikToks receive thousands of comments from people who are impressed with the home, with some calling it ‘goals’ and others admitting that they were ‘jealous’
The clip received thousands of comments from people who were impressed with the home, with some calling it ‘goals’ and others admitting that they were ‘jealous.’
‘Any they say money doesn’t buy happiness,’ wrote one person.
‘That’s a whole Hogwarts you have there,’ joked another, comparing it to the school in Harry Potter.
Someone else said: ‘Omg. I really, really want this.’
‘My brain can’t process this,’ joked a fourth person.
‘I need to get rich… Immediately,’ added a different user.
Other comments read, ‘Wow,’ and ‘A dream,’ while another person wrote, ‘I hope you know this made me cry.’
‘This property is an optimal fit for a person who wants a lifestyle change: not an ordinary run-of-the-mill home or estate, something unique and exceptional,’ listing agent John previously told CT Insider.
‘Owning a castle may not be for everyone, but who wouldn’t enjoy the life of a king and queen?’