Lord Egerton Castle

Lord Egerton Castle is a house styled like a fortress located 14 km outside Nakuru, Kenya.[1][2] The foundation was laid in 1938 by Maurice Egerton, 4th Baron Egerton.[3][4][5] The architect was Albert Brown. Construction continued until 1954. In 1996 the Castle was declared a monument under Kenyan "The Antiquities and Monuments Act" (Gazetted in April 1996).[6]

Lord Egerton Castle
Location in Kenya
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeCastle
Architectural styleColonial
Town or cityNakuru
CountryKenya
Coordinates0.27533°S 35.97219°E / -0.27533; 35.97219
Named forMaurice Egerton, 4th Baron Egerton
OwnerEgerton University
Grounds100 acres (0.40 km2)
Website
www.egerton.ac.ke/places-of-interest

The castle was opened to the public in 2005 and is under management from Egerton University.[3] [7]

The castle has 52 rooms, which includes:

  • dance hall with electric organ
  • dark chamber for developing photos
  • entrance hall
  • master bedrooms
  • study rooms
  • wine cellar

Location

Lord Egerton Castle is located off Nakuru- Kisumu highway in Nakuru, Kenya.

Description

The foundation of castle was laid in 1938 by Maurice Egerton, 4th Baron Egerton. It is found in a serene environment with swelling hills and rolling scrubs in the background hence its architecture rises above the landscape.[8] Its construction in 1952 came through a reality that the purpose for which it was built has fizzled out[9]

History

After purchasing the land Maurice Egerton built a small first house. While living in the first house the second house with four bedrooms was built. The unnamed woman called the second house a “chicken house”. That was the reason for Maurice Egerton to build the castle. Lord Egerton had begun constructing the castle in 1938 after the woman he intended to marry refused to start a family with him in the previous houses he had constructed for her. The construction of the castle stalled for some years right after the inception of World War II. It took 10 years to complete its construction in 1954. Lord Maurice Egerton stayed in the castle for only four years until he died in 1958.The castle has received many visitors worldwide.

  • Lord Egerton Castle (left) with the first house (right) and second house (center)
  • Lord Egerton Castle fees and opening hours
  • Lord Egerton Castle front view
  • Old telephone from the Lord Egerton era.

References
  1. -. "Lord's castle of love and hate". The Standard. Retrieved 2018-08-02.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. "Lord Egerton Castle". www.nakuru.co.ke. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
  3. "Lord Egerton's magnificent castle". Business Daily. 15 May 2014.
  4. "Lord Egerton's Castle: A Monument to Unrequited Love - Owaahh". Owaahh. 2015-03-17. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
  5. "A recluse's castle that now hosts thousands of visitors". Daily Nation. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
  6. "The Kenya Gazette" (PDF). Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  7. "Egerton University Places of Interest". Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  8. Mutulu, Frank (2014-12-05). "Lord Egerton Castle: A Legacy Of Unrequited Love". AFKTravel. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
  9. "Lord's castle of love and hate". The Standard. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.