Georgia man builds incredible ‘Downton Abbey’ sandcastle

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – A man in Georgia stunned beachgoers on Tuesday when he built a jaw-dropping sandcastle at Gould’s Inlet, East Beach on St. Simons Island.

It took Dylan “The Sandman” Mulligan approximately seven hours to construct his “Sandship” sandcastle. He got his inspiration from the Highclere Castle, known to the world as Downton Abbey.

“I have always been a Downton Abbey fan and an admirer of the architecture and history of Highclere Castle, as well as Lord and Lady Carnarvon’s efforts to preserve the castle, Mulligan told News4Jax. “I had always wanted to construct a replica of it, so I finally decided to make it happen.”

The sandcastle contained more than 100 gallons of water and was “without doubt one of the most detailed, labor-intensive sandcastles he had ever constructed.”

Mulligan has been sculpting sandcastles on the Georgia and Florida coasts for more than two decades. His popular creations have appeared at various points along the coast –– from the pristine and untouched wilderness of Blackbeard Island National Wildlife Refuge and the tidal sandbars of Shellman Bluff in McIntosh County, Georgia, to East Beach on St. Simons Island, all the way to the beautiful beaches of Ponce Inlet.

He also published a picture book of on his creations called “The Georgia Sandman.”

His goal by building the sandcastles is to raise awareness for historic preservation.

“I seek to draw attention to preservation efforts in every community and at large, all of my personal efforts center on the restoration of the historic Glennwanis Hotel in my hometown of Glennville as a new home for our local museum,” Mulligan said. “All profits I am able to generate from the sale of my books and prints are donated to that nonprofit organization.”

For more information, you can visit his website, or find him on social media — Facebook and Instagram.