Gillette Castle, East Haddam, Connecticut, USA

I have seen many homes made of stone and wood but the Gillette Castle stands out as one of the more unusual .  Gillette Castle, completed in 1919, is the legacy of  the successful actor and playwright, William Gillette, who earned his fame playing the character of Sherlock Holmes in the early 1900's on the New York stage.  He built this castle on a high bluff with commanding views of the Connecticut River. It sits atop the most southerly hill in a chain known as the Seven Sisters, for which the estate is named. The focal point of his effort was a twenty four room mansion reminiscent of a medieval castle.
I had the opportunity to attend a special showing of the castle with the Plymouth Digital Photographers group. I will leave the great photos up to them and instead, focus on some of what I thought to be freakishly odd but way cool features.

At first glance, all appears normal for a castle.......

....and the interior rooms seem normal.........

 

......and the view out the windows were drop-dead-gorgeous looking down on the Connecticut River valley.

But whoever heard of stone window awnings......

...or stone balconies and railings......

...or stone porch railings and balusters.......

......or wooden light switches.......

...or wooden door hardware and closing mechanisms......

....or wooden window locks and hinge limiters.

I guess when it comes right down to it, you can build almost anything out of wood and stone if you set your mind to it - both William Gillette and Fred Flintstone sure did. Yabba-dabba-do!