Castle in the Clouds
Encyclopedia
Castle in the Clouds (or Lucknow) is a 16-room mansion and 5500 acres (2,225.8 ha) mountaintop estate in Moultonborough
, New Hampshire
owned by the Lakes Region Conservation Trust and operated 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".
by millionaire shoe manufacturer Thomas Gustave Plant
(1859-1941) for his second wife, Olive Cornelia Dewey. Its nickname "Lucknow" may have been a play on words on 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. On this property he built the mansion, a stable/garage, gatehouse
s, a greenhouse
, farm buildings, and a golf course
. The property eventually extended to 6300 acres (25.5 km²).
The house included many innovations which were rare at the time, including 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 Tiffany
.
After Plant lost his money in a series of bad investments, the house and its contents were auctioned off in 1941-1942 to pay his creditors who allowed him to stay in the mansion until his death, but the furnishings remained with the house. The property was purchased by Fred C. Tobey family and opened as a tourist attraction in 1956.
Moultonborough, New Hampshire
Moultonborough is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,044 at the 2010 census. Moultonborough is bounded in part by Lake Winnipesaukee in the southwest and Squam Lake in the northwest corner...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
owned by the Lakes Region Conservation Trust and operated by the Castle Preservation Society. It overlooks Lake Winnipesaukee
Lake Winnipesaukee
Lake Winnipesaukee is the largest lake in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. It is approximately long and from wide , covering — when Paugus Bay is included—with a maximum depth of ....
and the Ossipee Mountains
Ossipee Mountains
The Ossipee Mountains are located just south of the White Mountains of New Hampshire, United States. Mount Shaw, at , is the highest point in the range.-Geology and physiography:...
from a rocky outcropping of Lee Mountain formerly known as "The Crow's Nest".
History
The home was built in 1914-1915 in the Craftsman StyleAmerican Craftsman
The American Craftsman Style, or the American Arts and Crafts Movement, is an American domestic architectural, interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts style and lifestyle philosophy that began in the last years of the 19th century. As a comprehensive design and art...
by millionaire shoe manufacturer Thomas Gustave Plant
Thomas Gustave Plant
Thomas Gustave Plant was a French-Canadian immigrant who made his fortune manufacturing shoes under the Queen Quality Shoes label. His largest shoe factory, the Thomas G. Plant Shoe Factory in Roxbury , Massachusetts, stood at...
(1859-1941) for his second wife, Olive Cornelia Dewey. Its nickname "Lucknow" may have been a play on words on the city of Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
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. On this property he built the mansion, a stable/garage, gatehouse
Gatehouse
A gatehouse, in architectural terminology, is a building enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a castle, manor house, fort, town or similar buildings of importance.-History:...
s, a greenhouse
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
, farm buildings, and a golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
. The property eventually extended to 6300 acres (25.5 km²).
The house included many innovations which were rare at the time, including 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.
Edward F. Caldwell & Co.
Edward F. Caldwell & Co., of New York City, was one of the premier designers and manufacturers of electric light fixtures and decorative metalwork from the late 19th to the mid-20th centuries. Founded in 1895 by Edward F. Caldwell and Victor F...
; and glass by Tiffany
Tiffany glass
Tiffany glass refers to the many and varied types of glass developed and produced from 1878 to 1933 at the Tiffany Studios, by Louis Comfort Tiffany....
.
After Plant lost his money in a series of bad investments, the house and its contents were auctioned off in 1941-1942 to pay his creditors who allowed him to stay in the mansion until his death, but the furnishings remained with the house. The property was purchased by Fred C. Tobey family and opened as a tourist attraction in 1956.