A CASTLE’S thousand-year-old stone tower crumbled after being battered by a storm.
Owners Robbie and Sarah Hay were yesterday faced with tons or rubble in their front garden after the massive slippage last weekend.
Bickleigh Castle, Devon, was rocked by Storm Gerrit after surviving wars and plagues.
Its three-storey tower with a slate roof surrounded by turrets toppled leaving a flagpole and a door amid the rubble.
The Hays have lived at the castle for 22 years.
They now hire it out for weddings, parties and conferences.
Robbie said: “We heard a rumble. We suspect a sudden strong gust and variations in wind led to this.”
Sarah said: “It’s been there 1,000 years. It’s quite shocking to see what’s happened.
“Fortunately, nobody was in the garden when it happened.
“We’ll get the rubble removed as quickly as we can.
“But we’re not going to stop taking bookings.”
Nearby Tipton St John was hit by a mini-tornado that split a 150-year old tree.