Property tycoon is looking to sell a Bewdley castle he has spent millions renovating to ‘the right person’
A Darlaston-born property tycoon is selling a massive 20-bed castle for £395,000, having spent £3 million on renovations.
Samuel Leeds purchased Ribbesford House in Bewdley for £810,000 in 2018 as he said he believed it to be a fantastic development opportunity.
The millionaire has spent £500,000 on a new roof, got rid of a severe Japanese knotweed, and fixed structural issues, which included ploughing millions into the two-turret building in the hopes of turning it in to a wedding venue or a hotel.
But the 34-year-old said the project has left him burned out and he had fallen out of love with the Grade II listed mansion, so he has put it up for auction.
The property is located in Ribbesford, a hamlet south just south of Bewdley and is nestled near the banks of the River Severn.
It comes after he recently made an audacious bid to buy a disused church in his hometown to save it from redevelopment.
It is surrounded by rolling fields and woodland, and it just a few minutes away from Bewdley town centre, which has an abundance of shops and restaurants and is also well connected by road to Kidderminster, Worcester and Birmingham.
The house and it’s surrounding estate have a history dating back almost 1,000 years, and the current property has has architectural elements ranging from the 16th to the 19th century.
The property has had a number of famous visitors, including Jungle Book writer Rudyard Kipling and French general and statesman Charles De Gaulle.
It also housed 211 French soldiers during the second world war, who used the grounds for training.
Mr Leeds said he is selling it for less than half what he bought it for and hopes it will go to an enthusiast who has a bold vision for the property.
He said: “I bought it in 2018 for £810,000 because I thought it looked like a lot of a lot of bricks for your money.
“It’s got eight acres of land, and I just thought it would make a fantastic development opportunity.
“I’ve spent 3 million pounds renovating it. I’ve sorted out all the structure and I’ve got a new roof, which cost me half a million pounds.
“There was severe Japanese knotweed and I’ve got rid of that and had it insured.
“I’ve fallen out of love with the idea of restoring it and I haven’t really got a vision for it.
“I’m going to lose quite a few million on it, but I’d rather it go to the right person.
“Even if someone ends up buying it for £400, 000, I don’t mind as long as they actually finish it and look after it.
“It just needs love, and it needs an enthusiast to actually have vision.
“When I bought the property, a soldier that lived there in World War II took me out for dinner, and said he was so happy I was going to restore it.
“He died shortly after and I feel like a failure, because I felt like I had a responsibility to him.”
Ribbesford House is situated on a plot of 7.9 acres of land, and planning applications have been submitted to create 22 residential dwellings, which are awaiting decision.
It is split into three sections, which are the main house, mews cottages and the stables.
The main house has 20 bedrooms, 10 reception rooms and nine bathrooms over three storeys, as well as three octagonal turrets.
Mr Leeds initially listed the house at auction in November 2025, with a guide price of £1.1 million and, after failing to sell, it was listed for a second time in January 2026, with a guide price of £900,000.
A third auction will take place on March 17, with a guide price of £395,000.
The multi-millionaire has done a lot of work in the community, having previously bid to buy a church to give it back to the community, created his own board game about property development, opened a new ward at the Ugandan hospital where on-duty doctor saved his legs after being involved in an accident and won £200,000 for his charitable foundation, after beating his arch rival in a boxing grudge match.