Castle in the Clouds

Castle in the Clouds or Lucknow is a mansion and convert|5500|acre|adj=on estate in Moultonborough, New Hampshire owned and operated by the Lakes Region Conservation Trust. It overlooks Lake Winnipesaukee and the Ossipee Mountains from a rocky outcropping of Lee Mountain formerly known as "The Crow's Nest".

It was built in 1914-1915 in the Craftsman Style by the millionaire shoe manufacturer Thomas Gustave Plant (1859-1941) for his second wife, Olive Cornelia Dewey, and named after the city of Lucknow (punning on 'in luck now'). 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 build the mansion, a stable/garage, gatehouses, a greenhouse, farm buildings, and a golf course. The property eventually extended to 6,300 acres.

The house included many amenities which were rare at the time, including air conditioning.

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 & Company; and glass by Tiffany. [Mulkern]

After Plant lost his money in a series of bad investments, the house and its contents were auctioned off in 1941-2 to pay his creditors, but the furnishings remained with the house. The property was purchased by Fred C. Tobey family and opened as a tourist attraction in 1956. It is now owned by the Lakes Region Conservation Trust and managed and operated by the Castle Preservation Society, a subsidiary. [ [http://castleintheclouds.org/Castle%20Preservation%20Society.htm Castle Preservation Society] ; [http://castleintheclouds.org/press/100th.pdf Announcement of restoration plan (PDF)] ]

Notes

References

* Ellen Albanese, "N.H. castle built on shoes, love, a grand vision", "Boston Globe", August 3, 2008. [http://www.boston.com/travel/explorene/newhampshire/articles/2008/08/03/nh_castle_built_on_shoes_love_a_grand_vision/ full text]
* Eric Jones, "New Hampshire Curiosities", Globe Pequot Press, 2006, p. 153. ISBN 0762739797.
* Larissa Mulkern, "A Home Ahead of Its Time", "New Hampshire Home", Fall 2007. [http://www.nh.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=HOME0222 full text]
* Bryant Franklin Tolles, "Summer Cottages in the White Mountains: The Architecture of Leisure and Recreation, 1870 to 1930", University Press of New England, 2000. ISBN 0874519535.
* Bryant Franklin Tolles, Carolyn K. Tolles, New Hampshire Historical Society, "New Hampshire Architecture", University Press of New England, 1979, p. 270. ISBN 0874511674.

External links

* [http://castleintheclouds.org/ Official site]
* [http://www.lucknow.com/ Site about Lucknow by the grandson of Fred C. Tobey]