In 1969, artist Peter J. Wing and his wife Toni began building what they thought of as a barn in upstate New York. They had no plans, and as the structure took shape, it turned into a home and then into a castle. That's where they lived, raised their children, and even took in elephants.
“The only people Mr. Wing hired were professional framers, a plumber and an electrician,” wrote The New York Times in 2001 upon visiting the home. The Wings also used completely reclaimed materials for the house, taking bricks from an old railroad bridge, wood from a local church. There’s even a rumour they kept a 1960s bomb shelter, installed by its former merchant sailor inhabitant, in-tact below the new living room space. They built a moat of sorts, and a Stonehenge-worthy rock circle; a dungeon room and a neighbouring cottage.
Wing's Castle is now a bed and breakfast. Take a tour of this unique place through its history at Messy Nessy Chic.