Thornewood Castle - Lakewood, Washington For the past 100 years, nestled on four acres at American Lake and dotted with old growth fir trees, Thornewood Castle has stood. Its fascinating history, however, goes back over 500 years. The House that Love Built Thornewood Castle was built to the specifications of Mr. Chester Thorne, one of the founders of the Port of Tacoma, in beautiful Washington State as a gift for his bride, Anna. The building of Thornewood was truly a labor of love. In 1907, Mr. Thorne purchased a 400-year-old Elizabethan manor in England and had it dismantled and shipped, brick by brick, from England to be included in the building of Thornewood. The famous architect, Kirtland Kelsey Cutter, was in charge of this most interesting Tudor Gothic project. Thornewood Castle is constructed with concrete and steel on a solid three-foot-thick foundation. Exterior walls are brick and concrete with steel reinforcement. The floors are ten inches of concrete. Construction took three years to complete, from 1908 to 1911, with many of the materials, including the brick, oak paneling, oak staircase and the medieval stained glass coming from the castle in England. The red brick facing on the outside of the estate was imported from Wales. Three ships were commissioned to transport these building supplies around Cape Horn to the Pacific Northwest. The Grounds The three acres of grounds and lakefront can be enjoyed from a breezy summer porch, the sunken garden, the beautiful loggia, and our private dock and beach. Our sunsets over the lake are a sight to see! The secret sunken English garden was designed by the Olmsted Brothers and exists today much as it did in the Thorne’s day. The Sights of Thornewood The castle offers over 27,000 square feet of living space, graciously arranged under one tile roof and boasts 54 rooms, including 22 bedrooms and 22 baths. There is something to behold around every corner at Thornewood. A priceless collection of rare artwork, hand painted onto glass surrounded by panes of crystal, are mounted in windows throughout the estate. You should be looking through them when the snow is falling, its magnificent! Created in the 15th to 17th centuries, they were previously owned by an English duke who spent 40 years collecting the chards and panels of lost art. The staircase as well as the doors were hand hewn from 500-year-old ancient English oak and are held together by wood dowels. Beautifully sculpted fountains, located in the circular drive and sunken gardens, are the focal points of our statuary collection, which includes many pieces, including the Kingsale Hounds, the only pair of these statues in the United States. The suites are luxuriously appointed and elegantly decorated, filled with antiques and historical pieces. Thornewood Today The current owners have lovingly restored the castle, which is now an official historical site. Thornewood offers bed and breakfast suites, vacation rentals, and a location for special events, weddings, and corporate retreats. Thornewood has also been used as a location for several films and photo shoots. Most famously, Thornewood Castle starred as the haunted mansion in Stephen Kings ABC television mini-series, Rose Red. The prequel to Rose Red, The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer, based on the book by Ridley Pearson was also filmed in large part at Thornewood Castle. The outside view of Thornewood Castle may also be seen in the Daniel Day Lewis film There Will Be Blood. This film was nominated for several Academy Awards.
Posted on: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 11:18:34 +0000
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