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Douglas and I had visited Fonthill Castle in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, many years ago when we lived in the area, and I always remembered it fondly as “absolutely crazy.”
My mother and I were traveling through the area to go to a John Denver tribute concert (yes, you read that right), and I saw that the Castle was properly done up for the holidays, so we stopped by for a visit.
Under normal conditions, visitors are provided with guided tours of the building, which is the preferred method to tackle this unique structure if you want to learn about its history.
However, during this most recent visit, the Castle was open for self-guided “wander at your own pace” explorations. Guides were available to add some insight, but it wasn’t the same experience as a regular tour.
There were 14 themed Christmas trees in the house, each with a pickle ornament hidden on them. Apparently, it is a German tradition, and finding the pickle brings good fortune or a reward for the next year. Of course this meant I had to find every pickle, some of which were very easy and some of which were quite hard.
Fonthill Castle was the home of famed tile-maker Henry Chapman Mercer, whose adjacent Moravian Pottery and Tile Works Doug and I had visited earlier this year.
It was built between 1908 and 1912 during the height of the Arts and Crafts movement, using “poured-in-place” concrete, which is a construction technique that goes just as it sounds.
There are 44 rooms, 200 windows, 18 fireplaces, 10 bathrooms, and lots of stairs, twists-and-turns, built-in concrete furniture, and nooks-and-crannies. Tile is absolutely everywhere, and it rather feels like walking through the mind of a mad man (but in a good way). Seriously, when you look at the pictures, you must look up, down, sideways.
It looks very dark and Gothic inside, but apparently it was originally painted in pastel colors that have all faded with age and sunlight.
Upon his death in 1930, Mercer left the home in a trust to become a museum for his decorative tiles and his extensive collection of prints. As such, the house is a true picture of Mercer and his intentions.
