August in New England gardens is a busy time; it seems like everything is ripening at once and requires drying, freezing, cooking, or canning all at once. So when my husband had a rare day off, we decided to check out The Castle in the Clouds tour in Moultonborough, NH, for a change of scenery.
Castle in the Clouds Tour
After parking and walking up the short gravel road to the ticket office, we checked out the Carriage House. The carriage house is now a mini museum outlining the timeline of Thomas Plant’s Lucknow Estate. A trolley picked us up from the carriage house to take us up and start the Castle in the Clouds Tour. The trolleys are the only way up to the mansion, and, honestly, it’s a nice touch.
A true self-made millionaire
Self-made millionaire Thomas Plant was the epitome of a self-made millionaire. He left school at 14yro to help the family and became an apprentice in a shoe company. By 32yro he owned his own shoe company, the Thomas G Plant Co. At 52 yrs, his company was the largest shoe factory in the world!
The Lucknow Estate
In the early 1900s, he began buying land and built 16 room mansion, 6,000 acres that overlooked Lake Winnipesaukee and the Ossipee mountains. Olive and Thomas didn’t have any children but entertained a LOT. Guests came to horseback ride, golf, shoot, hunt, fish, swim, and toured the nearby area. In 1941 Tom died, and the house was foreclosed. The Tobey family owned the estate and reveled in their summers. In 1956 the estate was opened to the public. Besides the tours, the estate now hosts weddings, extensive hiking paths, public programs, and dining at the Carriage House Restaurant.
What struck me about the mansion was the forethought. The terracotta tiles and stone walls were used because they were fire-resistant. The mansion had an interphone system, flush toilets, and a needle shower. The best part, though, is the second floor had slightly arched skylights made of Tiffany glass resting in the floor attic. The sun makes its way through the roof skylights, down through the attic skylights, and then through the tiffany skylight.
The Greenhouse
The part we learned about that I really wished was still there was the enormous greenhouse. The Lord & Durham Greenhouse was a heated 100’ steel and glass greenhouse that wrapped around the south-facing retaining wall. Can you imagine? How dreamy!
There is a lot to do in that area so make a weekend out of it!! If you do go, drop me a line here and let me know how you like it!
Castle in the Clouds
455 Old Mountain Road
Moultonborough, NH 03254
~ Lola
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