Castell Gwynn in Tennessee

Castell Gwynn (also known as Castle Gwynn) in Arrington, Tennessee, is the fulfillment of owner/builder Mike Freeman's life-long dream which began in 1970 in Freeman's high-school architecture class where he drew the first sketches of the castle he wanted to build one day.

To accomplish his dream, Mike Freeman launched a professional photography career while he started his search for the right location for his castle, which he found south of Nashville, near the small town of Triune. A landowner named John Covington made it possible for Mike Freeman to purchase a portion of his land, and when Freemen established the Tennessee Renaissance Festival, the grounds for the festival would be called Covington Glen, in honor of Covington.

The first five-story tower of Castle Gwynn was begun in 1980. The first-floor kitchen is the crowning glory of this tower. Mike Freeman worked for two years alongside a master mason molding the 14,000 bricks into 60 arches. Tile maker David Wright highlighted the kitchen with his reproduction of the Castle Gwynn coat-of-arms.

The second tower of Castle Gwynn was started in 1985. The second tower is home to the Great Hall which holds a great, hooded fireplace, 14' tall x 6' wide x 3' deep. The mantel is 7' thick and 6' long and finished with the Castle Gwynn coat-of-arms. The second tower was completed in 2007 (see photos below.)

If you attend the Tennessee Renaissance Festival in May, make sure you plan some time to take the tour of Castle Gwynn.

If you have seen Taylor Swift's music video, "Love Story," you have seen Castle Gwynn!