John Hammond built this castle early in the 1900s, funding it by the sale of his patents for all kinds of applications to navigation, radar, radio, etc.  In fact, I believe he holds the record for the largest number of patents awarded in this country.  He did come from a prominent and wealthy family, but they disowned him for marrying an older divorced woman – with whom he shared a long and happy marriage – so there Mom and Pop Hammond!

The main shots we have here are of the Great Hall and the Courtyard.  Yang took some really neat shots of the Great Hall.  Hammond would have large family and friend gatherings here in his day, including lots of famous film political, and business figures. I remember back in the 1980s and later when I came here, I attended concerts on the pipe organ and by smaller consorts.  I also got to watch silent films in the Great Hall. It was the perfect setting to enjoy Lon Chaney’s The Phantom of the Opera.  In this photo, you can get an idea of the length of the hall.  You can also see the beautiful rose window.

You can also observe some of the alcoves off the main hall  in these photos.  I wish we’d had a chance to take pictures in the dining room and the library off the Great Hall, facing the ocean, but the light was not great for photographing — too much sun coming in.  Natasha would have liked it, though!  Some of the decor were skillful reproductions of classical, medieval, and renaissance art; however, much was also pieces that had been rescued from ruins or antique dealers.

How about this huge hearth?  Would it keep the entire hall warm?  Well, maybe you ought to remove the Christmas decorations first!

The courtyard was a real treat!  Recreations or imports of medieval and renaissance shop fronts were integrated into the walls, leading into various rooms.  The courtyard was roofed with glass skylighting, allowing for the growing of all kinds of plants that surrounded a long, eight-foot deep pool.   Here is a view from the balcony to one end of the courtyard from which Mr. Hammond enjoyed diving off  into the pool for a swim – but I think he changed into his trunks first. How would you like to jump in from here?

We were lucky enough to meet two of the guides there who took our picture.  We had a great chat with them about the castle and ruins, castles, mansions, and other haunted spots in new England.  If we go back for a guided tour, I know that they would do a great job.  they helped make our day!

Anyway, here are some more shots of the courtyard.

Looking at these photos, you can see how Hammond integrated reliefs, tombstones, storefronts, etc, into the construction of the hall.  It’s eclectic, but it works!

The Christmastide greenery adds seasonal beauty and cheer to the castle.

We don’t have photos of the bedrooms or the kitchen or Hammond’s workrooms.  Maybe that’s for another day – or for you to find on your own trip to the castle.

Finally, the outside is also a pleasure to enjoy.  For one thing, there’s a draw bridge.  An interesting story connects here.  Apparently, Hammond also built a covered bridge for the cats to leave the castle near here as well – but they didn’t deign to use it.  I think they were busy chilling in the boxes in which some of the antiquities arrived.

Of course, we can’t forget to include picture of the person to whom we can credit the majority of these photographs.

I love these Gothic arches framing the view of the Atlantic on this sunny winter’s day.

For your final delectation, below is a video that reveals the glory of the Great Hall in panorama.  If you want to enjoy Hammond castle for yourself, here’s a link to their web site. Their “Deck the Halls” tours are open until December 30th.