Tributes to loved ones come in different shapes and sizes

When people are in love, they feel on top of the world. Their smiles are bright, their hearts beat fast and they bubble with excitement. People in love have this extra spring in their step, they laugh loudly and life is sweet.

They say love is a beautiful thing. There is no explaining what happens when cupid’s arrow strikes one’s heart. But it is so moving that it makes people do unbelievable things.

People in love have been known to do some  stupid things while others have done incredibly amazing ones. Love has for ages inspired poetry, soulful music, novels, memorable paintings and sculptures. Some have been inspired to show their love in grand

ways by creating bring breathtaking architecture for their lovers. What an awesome way to express love. As we approach Valentine’s Day, we look at some of the buildings that have been built for love.

THE TAJ MAHAL, INDIA

This fine, universally admired architectural gem was built on the order of the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, between 1631 and 1648 in memory of his favourite wife, Mumtaz, a Persian princess who died giving

birth to their 14th child.

The emperor’s sorrow at the loss of his beloved knew no bounds. He was inconsolable and is said to have gone into secluded mourning for a year. When he came out of his self-imposed seclusion, he was a changed man. A shadow of his former self, the grief had eaten away at him like a cancer, his hair was white and his bones bent. 

After this he planned the building of a befitting mausoleum for his beloved. More than 20,000 sculptors, calligraphers, and craftsmen were brought to the city of Agra to work on the marble-clad masterpiece.

The remains of Mumtaz were later moved from their original burial site and laid in the Taj Mahal.

It is a masterful piece combining Persian, Islamic and Indian architecture, an excellent display of architectural and artistic achievement. It stands in perfect harmony, blending with the picturesque, well-appointed

gardens and courtyard fountains. 

The Taj Mahal is now one of the wonders of the world, a Unesco Heritage Site, a legend and example of an eternal, all-consuming love and architectural dedication. It attracts millions of tourists every year and is a

site that every architectural enthusiast should try to visit at least once in their lifetime.

LORD EGERTON’S CASTLE, NJORO

This monumental castle  is in Njoro, about 14 kilometres from Nakuru Town.

The story is told of a prodigious traveller of royal lineage who came to Kenya from Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). His name was Lord Maurice Egerton of Tatton. He is described as a short man who liked to wear a

pilot’s cap, had a passion for hunting and

photography, and loved architecture. He is said to have settled in Kenya after being convinced to by Lord Delamere.

He hoped to find his true love one day and  when he finally did, his only wish was to marry her.  When she visited him, she was astonished to find him living in a small house and declared she could not live in a bird’s nest.

Hoping to impress her, he built a beautiful, four-room cottage. To his utter dismay, the lady of his dreams dismissed the cottage as dog’s kennel.

She then left the country and married someone else.

Heartbroken and dejected, Lord Egerton still went ahead to build what is now known as the Lord Egerton Castle. 

The rejection hurt him so much that he developed a deep hatred for women and planted notes around his compound warning women to stay away or risk getting shot. He did not want them reminding him of his unrequited love.

Men visiting Lord Egerton were asked to leave their women far away. When he wished to visit his servants, he gave weeks’ notice so that they could send their women away or lock them indoors. Chicken and dogs were also not allowed in his compound as

they reminded him of the woman’s’ mockery of his house as a bird’s nest and dog’s kennel. Truly, there is a thin line between love and hate.

Lord Egerton spent the rest of his life alone in his castle on his 100-acre farm until his death on January 30, 1958. Ironically, the castle and its expansive gardens have now been turned into a lovers’ haven where couples come from all over the country go to

tie the knot.

PHIMAI HISTORICAL PARK, THAILAND

But it is not just men, who have been inspired to build for love. The story goes that two lovers, a Prince Pajitt and his beautiful bride-to-be, Orapima, were resting in a forest when  a woodsman killed the prince and

took the bride away.

Orapima avenged by killing the woodsman and returned to her homeland where she built Phimai. She decorated it with paintings and sculptures of memories of her life with her departed sweetheart.

She prayed hard for his reincarnation. One day, a young man who had seen and been impressed by the works of Orapima came looking for her. She immediately recognised the spirit of her sweetheart Pajitt and they got married and lived happily ever after.

The building, which is very similar to Angkor in Cambodia, is open to visitors.

GERTRUDE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL, KENYA

Sir Ewart Grogan, or “Bwana Chui”, so called for his infamous abuse of Africans, was not an exception when it came to matters of the heart. At the age of 24, the eccentric pioneer Kenyan settler, explorer,

politician, and entrepreneur found his match in

Gertrude Edith and impressed her with stories about his African expeditions, some true and others laced with exaggerations. Sadly though, his fortune was not enough to impress the step-father of the apple of his

eye, who dismissed him as a simple fortune hunter.

Undaunted, the ever ambitious Grogan proposed to walk from Cape town to Cairo to prove his seriousness. Gertrude’s step-father took him up on his proposal and Grogan took off for his sensational expedition.

Through the deserts and forests, dangers of lions and mosquitoes, he made it to Cairo in two- and-a-half years. To crown his victory, he got Gertrude Edith’s hand in marriage and they arrived and settled in Nairobi in 1904.

The happily-ever-after story was cut short when Gertrude died of a heart attack in 1943. Grogan, who always thought big, sought a befitting memorial for his wife and thus the Gertrude’s (Garden) Children’s

hospital was founded in 1947. Grogan donated the land the hospital stands on and the hospital has continued to grow, with satellite clinics in a number of Nairobi’s residential areas.

MCMILLAN LIBRARY, NAIROBI

The McMillan Library in Nairobi stands in memory of a man larger than-than-life named William Northrup McMillan. The pioneer Kenyan settler is said to have stood over 6 feet and required a belt more than 64 inches.

He was not only large in size, but in action as well, and was one of Kenya’s  most colourful, charitable and influential pioneering settlers. Like his friend, Ewart Grogan, he was also known for his eccentricities, flamboyant hospitality and massive wealth.

The romantic legend goes that after the death of Sir William, his wife, Lucy, who was equally known for her charitable works, having turned her home into a place where soldiers could recuperate during the First World War, commissioned the building of

the McMillan library in Nairobi. It was inaugurated in 1931.

The building was built with Nairobi blue stone and statues of lions placed at the entrance in memory of her husband, who was an ardent hunter. In fact, he initially came to Kenya as a hunter. Sir William, an American knighted for his contribution during the

First World War, had died in Nice, but his wife wanted to fulfil his wish to be buried at the top of Ol Donyo Sabuk Mountain. His wishes were, however, frustrated by his weight and he was thus buried on the slope of the mountain where his wife, her maid

and family dog were also buried when their time came. 

The building still stands and is a gazetted historical building, housing archival documents, books and other artifacts. It is currently closed for renovation after years of neglect.

DOBROYD CASTLE IN TODMORDEN, ENGLAND

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Jane Austen declared in her 1813 book, Pride and Prejudice.

The breathtaking castle set in a wonderful landscape bears the story of a determined young man, John Fielden (Junior).  With all his good fortune and good looks, try as he might, he could not  get a suitable mate. He enjoyed the company of young women,

but none captured his heart, until he met  Ruth Stansfield, a local worker, and fell madly in love with her.  He asked her to marry him but  Ms Stansfield was adamant that she would marry him only if he built her a castle. Fielden went to work commissioning

the family’s favourite architect, John Gibson, and the result was this elegant castle, a true manifestation of his love for Ruth. It is said that Ruth laid the corner stone.   It took six years before the two were finally married. 

Fielden is said to have also commissioned a portrait of his bride, whom he said had   a heart full of goodness, charity and unassuming modesty.

Upon her death he remembered her as “one whose noble simplicity and unaffected tenderness and truthfulness, it was a privilege to know.” He said that she was truly a lady deserving of the Castle. 

BOLDT CASTLE IN NEW YORK, US

Another story of a man in love: hotel magnate George C Boldt, and owner of the world-famous Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, commissioned this castle as a show of love for his wife, Louise. Not a single detail or penny was spared in the construction of the grand Victorian castle.

His plan was to give the castle to Louise on Valentine’s Day in 1905. However, as the saying goes, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry, and Louise was not to see the completion of the castle. She died suddenly, just a few months before the

completion of the castle. A devastated George Boldt stopped all construction of the castle and never went back to the site.

For more than 70  years the castle lay unoccupied. It was later restored and today, the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority runs the castle, which is open to visitors.

CASA LOMA IN TORONTO, CANADA

Then there is the story of Major-General Sir Henry Mill Pellatt, who had promised his wife Mary, a sprawling castle.  His travels to Europe had inspired in him a great love for art and architecture, which truly influenced his vision of a castle befitting his

beloved wife. The resulting castle was named Casa Loma, Spanish for house on a hill.  The grand display of love would cost him what would today translate to about $65 million.

They lived together in their fairytale-like castle for 10 years but were forced to auction it when they fell short on taxes after the First World War.