For the love of a woman

How many women have had castles built to woo them? In the case of Lord Egerton, the mystery woman for whom he built a castle in Ngata, on the outskirts of Nakuru, decided that it was not big enough for her. I’m lost for words – but she may have had other reasons for rejecting his gift. Perhaps it was a tad too quiet for her liking – as it would have been in the 1930s when there were few settlements around.

As I wander around the enormous, high-walled rooms with grand views of the world outside, I ponder the story of the unrequited love behind it. The oft-repeated story is of the woman visiting the love-struck lord at his six-bedroomed house. It wasn’t up to her standards, so he went on to build her a castle never before seen in Kenya – and of a scale never again built in Kenya.

Lord Egerton was in his mid-60s when his totem of love was completed. Egerton Castle is a 52-room edifice with marble and trimmings from Italy and England. It took 100 Indian masons to finish it. I climb up the double staircase, past the stone-chiselled lions that were the flag-bearers of the family dynasty, into the castle. It’s hard to fathom how a woman said ‘no’ to all this.

The hallway leads into the ballroom that is empty save for a weathered piano. The local guide tells of parties that could have happened… except that they didn’t. After the mysterious lady rejected him, Egerton banned any woman from ever setting foot in the castle – and as legend has it, he never again set eyes on another woman.

HEART OF MYSTERY

It is truly a handsome castle that, despite its age, shows the hallmarks of solid workmanship. Huge windows fill the castle with natural light. One room has a collection of memorabilia retrieved from around – crockery, cutlery, his pictures – and here I learn that Egerton was an avid aviator and a contemporary of the famous Wright brothers, who invented the aeroplane. He really was quite an accomplished man. He served in the navy during WW1, for which he was granted land in Ngata under the Soldier Settlement Scheme. He later founded the Egerton Farm School that is now Egerton University, and is one of the finest agricultural universities in Kenya. There are pictures of his family home in England, a grand castle that they have owned since the 16th century. It is also a tourist site as Lord Egerton left no heir.

Room after room boasts high ceilings and huge windows. There is a rooftop terrace from which we can see the faint outline of the Aberdares, and as far south as Longonot and the Mau complex. There’s even a darkroom to process photos – Lord Egerton was an avid photographer. The kitchen and pantry are gigantic (to cater for big parties) and the servants’ quarters not too small either. His lady-love would have lived in opulence.

Lord Egerton died in 1958 aged 84, almost 20 years after the castle was completed. After that, and with no family to care for it, the castle was ransacked and fell to neglect. Today, on the simple green lawns with a botanical garden, a pair of llamas wander around. It would be fantastic to turn part of the castle into a luxurious time-period hotel and retain the rest as an open museum for the public.

I’m still curious about the lord’s unrequited love. Perhaps she was true to her heart and could not marry just for the sake of money. Either way, she in her own right bequeaths the castle her legacy – that of mystery.

*****

Directions to Lord Egerton Castle:

It’s 14 kilometres from Nakuru town on the Nakuru-Kisumu Road. A signboard points to the turning. There’s a small fee at the entrance – US$ 5 for international and Sh100 for locals.

Enjoy a stay in the beautiful farm counrty of Njoro at the luxury cottages at Kembu, or simply drive further west to Kisumu and the islands of Africa’s largest freshwater lake – Victoria.