The Enchanted Castle in San Simeon
Some of you might have heard of the fabulous summer palace in Xanadu built by Kubla Khan , the famous Mongolian emperor.S.T.Coleridge immortalised the beauty of that palace"a stately pleasure dome" surrounded by "sunny spots of greenery" in his fragmentary poem "Kubla Khan" composed in 1797. Such a wonderful palace one can see here built amidst beautiful scenic surroundings near the coast just twenty-three miles from High Way No.1 California that is "Hearst Castle", a palatial building, one of the National Historic land marks in U.S.A.
After paying entry fee, we were asked to see a forty-minute I.max film briefing the life history of Mr.William Randolph Hearst who undertook this Herculean task of constructing a castle on the top of a hill at a height of 16,00 feet from sea level.We were also shown some of the highlights of the castle which was built in a rare combination of various styles of architecture found in European countries. The swift movement of images on the screen with changing points of focus and view points made us feel as if we were lifted up and down. Later we travelled in a luxury bus through winding paths of hills with vast tracts of hilly slopes . Here and there we saw the vestiges of past glory like log cabins, cages and enclosures meant for keeping wild animals.
After travelling five miles we reached our destination , a huge mansion with towers surrounded by a
esplanade decked with various sculptures, fountains and antique art objects. An agile, beaming
gentleman introduced himself as a guide and ushered us into the castle after climbing steps. We were allowed to see "Casa Grande"(The main castle) , that too , only a few rooms on the first floor. The
guide,though enthusiastic, went on talking in a jovial manner without giving information in a brief
and specific manner. He spoke mostly about the luxurious and fashionable life led by Mr. Hearst.
The first hall is the drawing room with a raised platform in one corner which might have served as
a place for delivering speeches . Costly paintings and art objects were seen in the room . The second
hall was meant for dining. A long dining table with rows of chairs is seen with a neat arrangement of
porcelain plates and cutlery with crystal and silver bowls containing fruits and refreshments. Hearst
used to entertain many guests in his palatial mansion. Celebrities and political dignitaries like Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin, Cary Grant, Mark Twain and others used to attend his parties. The dining room looked gorgeous with sparkling chandeliers and richly embroidered tapestry with a carved wooden ceiling showing various saintly figures. In another hall Hearst used to sit with a limited number of friends and relatives and take his breakfast. There is also a big hall for the guests to entertain themselves by playing games like snooker and bridge. We were not shown the kitchen in the adjacent room as our tour did not include viewing it. So what we saw was a very little portion of the castle which has nearly 165 rooms.
As we came out we noticed a beautiful pool filled with crystal-clear blue water surrounded by ancient columns with a statue of the sea god (Neptune) seen on the top of the temple. This Roman
temple front was transported from Europe to beautify this swimming pool. Statues of nymphs and
swans seen around the pool ("Neptune Pool") were carved by the famous French sculptor , Charles Cassou.
Just before we reached the way to exit we saw another big indoor swimming pool decorated with
marble statues. The walls and the ceiling of the whole room were covered with glass mosaic tiles of
blue and gold colour providing a grand spectacle of the pool which was designed in the style of a
Roman Bath. The sunlight streaming through glass windows adds splendour to this shining pool.
This Roman Pool is based on the design of Mausoleum with its blue and gold colour scheme and star patterns. Around the castle we saw the marble statues of Roman gods , goddesses and heroes in graceful postures. This castle was an inspiration for the "Xanadu" mansion of Orson Welles' film "Citizen Kane" in which Oheka Castle in New York was shown as a location.
After coming out I could not but wonder to think of Mr.Hearst who successfully transformed
his lofty dream of constructing this palatial residence on this isolated remote hill which has now become one of the historic monuments of the U.S.A. We often use the phrase"building castles in the air". But here was a person who dared to build a dream castle of his aspirations spending
all his wealth and boldly facing all the challenges with patience and perseverance. It took nearly twenty-eight years(1919 to 1947) for Hearst to build this magnificent castle with 165 rooms, gardens terraces , pools and walkways. Using his experience of visiting various castles in Europe, and after careful comparative study of various styles of other countries , he decided to build the castle in the Renaissance and Baroque styles of Southern Spanish cathedrals and palaces. He also tried to blend various styles in designing and decorating the castle by transporting or by shaping the replicas of the beautiful structures and sculptures he had seen. He used his precious art collections in adding more splendour to this wonderful work of artistic creation. At the same time Mr.Hearst took much care to adopt modern techniques and provide modern facilities like water supply, electricity, sports, and a movie theatre. He also took keen interest in conserving and also in enhancing the charm of the scenic surroundings by setting up his own private zoo with more than 300 animals of various exotic species in a fenced area of 2000 acres of his estate. Many varieties of plants and trees like palms, citrous trees,dahlias,oleandars and roses were planted on the hill slopes. But during the period of depression of 1930's Hearst could not maintain his zoo and so was compelled to donate or sell his animals like zebras,mountain elks and bisons to public zoo's. Even now, a few animals like goats and mountain elks are spotted in the ranch by visitors.
Mr. William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951) son of a rich miner and ranch owner, George Hearst,
inherited nearly 2,50,000 acres of ranch at San Simeon . As a prosperous business magnate owning
twenty-eight newspapers, eighteen magazines, several radio stations and movie companies, he led a
a very busy life. He thought of building a decent bungalow to settle on the hill of Santa Lucia range.
Julia Morgan (1872-1957) , an architect from San Francisco, took up this stupendous task of constructing this castle on a rocky terrain in an aesthetic and attractive manner in conformity with the lofty aspirations of Mr.Hearst. Really she deserves due applause and credit for giving shape to the dreams of a generous person into solid reality. Hearst renamed the earlier known as Camp Hill as"The Enchanted Hill".
The castle was built in an area of 127 acres with a built in area of nearly 90,000 square feet. The area of Casa Grande is 60,645 square feet . Three guest houses were built around the castle. After Hearst's demise in 1951, the Hearst Corporation donated the property to the State of California. Since then this historic monument is being managed by State Park Service. As the main estate is used as a museum, an older Victorian house in the estate has been used by Hearst's family as a retreat. This castle joined the National Register of Historic Places on June22,1972, and became a U.S.National Historic Landmark on May11,1976. Lord John Julius Norwich, the famous architectural historian, aptly said,"Hearst Castle is a palace in every sense of the word."
On our return journey by bus down the hill, we saw a few wild animals roaming freely on the ranch while a few cages and empty enclosures were seen that once were the cosy shelters for exotic animals. The audio commentary in the bus during our journey was quite clear,informative and interesting. In the gift shop one could find many CDs,books,photos and souvenirs that would serve as reminders and tokens of the grand masterpiece of this real dream castle.
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10-12-2011 Soma Gutala
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