June 15, 2010

Tourists in Toronto: Casa Loma

The castle-like Hill House was built in 1911–1914 as the private residence of Ontario soldier and electricity mogul Sir Henry Mill Pellatt. With secret cabinets and passages, an 800-foot tunnel leading to stables and a coach house, towers, richly decorated rooms, and even its own pipe organ, Casa Loma is Toronto's own Camelot.

Casa Loma


WWI halted the construction of the bowling alleys and Roman bath in the basement, and financial troubles resulted in Sir Henry enjoying his castle for only less than ten years. But the rooms that have been maintained by the Kiwanis Club of Casa Loma since 1937 are a wonder to look at, from the rich furnishings and artwork to the architectural details and amenities that were very modern for the time.

ceiling and chandelier in Casa Loma


Nature and art lovers will enjoy the estate's five acre gardens. A formal garden with a fountain, gazebo and sundial lies just beyond the castle's terraces.

gazebo and sundial in Casa Loma's gardens


On one side of the castle is a small, secluded garden with a fascinating Dragon Tree sculpture which comes with its own romantic legend. Elsewhere, paths meander through beautiful old trees, flowering bushes and gentle ponds.

Dragon Tree sculpture in Casa Loma's gardens


Unfortunately, even the lovingly cared for gardens of Casa Loma have not been spared from graffiti.

graffiti on a garden door of Casa Loma

17 comments:

Leif Hagen said...

Looks like quite a noble place - like a fairy tale place to live! Did you see Cinderella there?

Tracy said...

Wow, that is some place! Too bad about the graffiti. :-(

brattcat said...

I bet you had difficulty selecting which images to show us. What a rich subject for your camera.

mia said...

Oh how nice to walk around that castle. That dragon sculpture looks a bit out of place in such a genteel-looking garden, but I guess it gives it character somewhat.

Olivier said...

les fontaines sont tres belles mais originales, surtout la deuxieme

lewi14@gmail.com said...

What a lovely place! Yes, the graffiti are bad.

Gunn said...

I also like this beautiful place and all the art.
But not the grafitti:(

magiceye said...

wonderfully impressive and you have presented so well!

Cezar and Léia said...

oh it's a pity the door is suffering with that graffiti.It's not cool indeed because this place is so precious, I love your pictures, the first one is magnificent , the wonderful castle and all beautiful green around.
I'm so impressed by that dragon tree sculpture!
Hugs
Léia

escape said...

wow! i actually like the third photo. it looks like a batman symbol.

nice to know that you're back.

Lois said...

It's magnificent! Too bad there is always someone who can't resist defacing something beautiful.

arabesque said...

did i say i'm enjoying all your travel fotos?! ^0^

Halcyon said...

It's too bad about the grafiti, but it looks like an excellent place to visit!

Rob Siemann said...

Private residence? Wow.

Lowell said...

The rich really are different than the rest of us! Hard to imagine what it would be like to live in such a place...but I'd love to wander about and go through the tunnel.

So sad about the graffiti!

George said...

This is a beautiful place and I'm glad it has been maintained. It's just too bad that some people feel compelled to 'decorate' with graffiti.

Kaori said...

Wow, love that first shot! It's a like a fairytale :D