Lord Egerton is a fortress that dates back in 1938 when its foundation was laid in Nakuru, Kenya by Maurice Egerton (4th Baron Egerton). Albert Brown was the lucky architect drafted for this project, while construction ensued until 1954 upon its completion.
The story behind the Construction of The Castle
Maurice Egerton was the lastborn of the family of royals- The Barons of Egerton. He had two siblings who died before him, leaving him sole heir to their family’s wealth and riches. He worked in the Royal Navy until 1920 when his father passed on. He later developed a passion for hunting and photography, both of which prompted his desire to travel.
He entered Africa through Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) to Uganda through Congo after which making his entry into Kenya, where he based the rest of his life, convinced and inspired by Lord Delamere’s prospering Agriculture.
He then bought 21 about acres from Lord Delamere that stretched to Lake Nakuru, parts of Rongai, Ngata, Molo up to Egerton University.
As a kin of royal offspring, it was customary to marry of the same status. He found himself a young beauty from a lineage that branched that of Queen Elizabeth and set to build a house that would impress her. Maurice built a four-bedroomed house, but the lady called it a chicken house and barely spent two hours in the compound. Maurice therefore started thinking bigger and set to put up a mansion. This is when he broke the ground to put up the castle.
Maurice brought in the renown English architect and a cabal of both Italian construction workers and a hundred Red Indian labourers, to realize the design. The lady still wasn’t impressed and termed it a dog’s kennel. She left for Australia and married there.
Maurice was heartbroken but this did not deter him from completing his construction. With each block and each floor, he put up a structure that was said to resemble the neuro-classical mansion that belonged to the family back in England.
The structure was a marvel designed with
· Rocks brought from abroad
· Sparkly green marbles for fireplaces imported from Italy
· Tiles used to decorate the interior imported from China
· British oak to design the stairways and walls
The castle was opened to the public in the year 2005 under the Egerton University management. It consists of 52 rooms. Amongst them include;
· A dance hall with an electric organ player that takes the height of two storeys, made with 411 sound pipes (The organ player would come to play thrice a year from England to play the Lord’s favorite ballads)
· Huge ball room for high caliber meetings, entertainment, celebrations
· Dark chamber for developing photos
· Entrance hall
· Master bedroom
· Study Room
· Wine cellar
