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Gillette's Castle - July 4, 2008 - A great place to see   RSS
Gary, Peter Molenaar and myself spend the July 4th holiday visiting Gillette's Castle after we had taken the Essex Steamtrain and Riverboat tour.

GILLETTE CASTLE was built by actor William Gillette. Best known for his role as Sherlock Holmes, Gillette had construction started in 1914 and it was not completed until 1919, at a cost of $1,000,000. Standing at 200 feet above sea level, with imposing granite walls, 4 to 5 feet thick, and 24 oddly shaped rooms, it affords visitors one of the most spectacular views of the Connecticut River Valley.

The rather eccentric Gillette, best known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, first spotted the location where he would build his castle on a boat trip up the Connecticut River in 1912. Gillette Castle, built at a cost of about $1 million and completed in 1919, features a number of peculiarities including hidden mirrors, a lock-protected bar and intricate, hand-carved door latches on each of the castle's 47 doors--no two are alike

Gillette was born in Hartford in 1853 and was descended from the city's founder, Thomas Hooker. His family didn't support his pursuit of acting as a profession, but he went on to make his own fortune writing, producing and starring in plays.
       
    
    
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Upon arriving at Gillette's Castle
the sign tells it all
the stone walls are strangely shaped
in fact, the entire castle is strange
an outdoor rail
the stones atop the wall are all oddly shaped
here's a part of the driveway entering the grounds
a quick glimpse of what we are about to enter
from inside looking out
very dark in here - no flash was allowed on any pictures taken
another one of the windows
here's a picture of the man himself
one of the windows in the main room
these two portray Mr & Mrs William Gillette
the plant and garden room is beautiful
the cactus - amazing
supposedly his neice's bedroom
some stained glass items in an upstairs bedroom
looking out from inside - an opened window gives some of the view
overlooking the lower level living room
one of the carved doors
spooky staircase leading upstairs
the main room below
more of the windows
inside the master bedroom - an old victrola
a dresser - all handmade furniture
a sitting area in the upstairs hallway
carnival glass under glass
this is Mrs Gillette
another person who meant a lot to William Gillette
more people he worked with on stage
a bit of description
and a bit more
his writing of Sherlock Holmes
a photo of the man
hey, wait a minute - that's Gary looking down
the stove in the kitchen
more of the kitchen area
one of the many paintings this man had hung in this place
a stairway to the outdoors patio
more of the outdoors
flowers everywhere
a look at the back of the castle
the back again
the stonework around the window
this is the plant room from the outside
looking down at the Connecticut River
what a view