The beauty and tranquillity of little known Shropshire can be fully appreciated at this very unusual house. It stands in a spectacular position overlooking one of the few Grade 1 landscapes in the country. This is Hawkstone Park, becoming famous for its follies and magical walks.

The Hill family were the great land-owning family of the area, Sir Rowland being the first Protestant Lord Mayor of London in the middle of the 16th century. The Citadel was built by a descendant, another Sir Rowland, for his mother and sister Jane in the 1820s.

Constructed in local salmon-red sandstone, it is ingeniously designed in the form of three interlinked towers, set to the points of an isosceles triangle, and the crenellations and cross-loops give the house more than a touch of history and romance. Another imaginative feature is the deep apron terrace of cobbles at the front of the house, framed by a sandstone retaining wall with bastions at each corner.

The Griffiths family have lived at the Citadel since 1957, and own the farm, some 200 acres, which surrounds the property.

The front door of studded red pine opens into an octagonal outer hall, which in turn leads through to the larger inner hall at the centre of the house.

The west lounge is at the disposal of guests, and adjoins the billiard room with its full-size table, again available for use by guests.

The elegant dining room has a ceiling embossed with vines, here guests experience a house party atmosphere, eating and chatting around the large Regency table.

Two of the bedrooms are in the towers, and both have en-suite bathrooms. The third bedroom in-between has en-suite shower and toilet facilities. All have clear views of the lovely North Shropshire countryside

Sylvia and her husband Beverley, enjoy sharing their much loved home, which has wonderful views from every window, and hope guests will have time to stroll round the large garden, whose paths meander around and over a sandstone outcrop.

Round every bend is something to catch the eye, a Victorian grotto, a shady glade full of acers and even a walled potager. Pause awhile in the thatched summerhouse, to look across the Shropshire plain to the Welsh hills in the distance.