Castle in the Clouds - New Hampshire

Castle in the Clouds (or Lucknow as it was also known) is a 16-room mansion on a 5,294-acre mountaintop estate in Moultonborough, New Hampshire. It... more

by Betty Denise

Title

Castle in the Clouds - New Hampshire

Artist

Betty Denise

Medium

Photograph - Giclee On Paper, Textured

Description

Castle in the Clouds (or Lucknow as it was also known) is a 16-room mansion on a 5,294-acre mountaintop estate in Moultonborough, New Hampshire. It is open seasonally to the public by the Castle Preservation Society. It overlooks Lake Winnipesaukee and the Ossipee Mountains from a rocky outcropping of Lee Mountain, formerly known as "The Crow's Nest".
The home was built in 1913–1914 in the Craftsman style by millionaire shoe manufacturer Thomas Gustave Plant (1859–1941) for Olive Cornelia Dewey, his second wife. He called the estate Lucknow, perhaps after the city of Lucknow in India. The property was assembled from the private Ossipee Mountain Park, an observation area called the Crow's Nest, and a variety of other lodges and buildings. He razed the structures and built the mansion, a stable/garage, gatehouses, a greenhouse, farm buildings, and a golf course. The property eventually extended to 6,300 acres.
Designed by well known Boston architect J. Williams Beal (along with his sons John W. Beal and Horatio Beal), the house included many innovations which were rare at the time. It included a circular shower, interlocking kitchen tiles, and a central vacuum system. The interiors were designed by Irving & Casson - A.H. Davenport. Bronze and tile work were by William Jackson & Company; electric fixtures by Edward F. Caldwell & Co.; and glass by the famous Tiffany Company.

After Plant lost his money in a series of bad investments in the 1930s, the house was foreclosed upon, but his creditors allowed him to stay in the mansion until his death, and the furnishings remained with the house. Plant died in 1941, and the property was purchased by Fred C. Tobey to log its hardwoods and serve as a family summer home. The estate was sold to Richard and Donald Robie in 1956, who opened it as a tourist attraction.

Castle in the Clouds is currently owned and operated by the Castle Preservation Society. The Castle, Carriage House, Gift Shop, Art Gallery and Cafe and Patio are open to the public from late May to early October. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_in_the_Clouds)

Uploaded

May 29th, 2021