Lord Egerton Castle

Lord Egerton Castle: Located in Nakuru off the Nairobi – Nakuru highway about 3 Kilometres from Nakuru town, the Lord Egerton Castle is not only a historic landmark it is an exquisite piece of art. The castle is that was built by Lord Egerton who was the 4th Baron Egerton then is a 53 roomed fortress that takes you back the prehistoric days as you reverence the ravishing beauty of this castle

This castle is one of the top attractions in Nakuru attracting thousands of people every month, that want to explore and experience the castle’s unique beauty and story. The fascinatingly beautiful castle sits on a unique a hundred-acre landscape in Nakuru’s countryside on Ngata farm surrounded by magnificent and expansive gardens and lawns on all sides of the house.

The castle was built with imported material between 1938 and 1954 which means it took 10 years for it to be completed. This delay in completion was because of World War II that disrupted the movement of material and affected the human resource on the construction.

The Castle is designed with a rare archaic architecture that dates back to the last century and gives the castle a touch of timelessness. The castle has 53 rooms that include:-

Classic room with a broken piano which portrays Lord Egerton’s architectural style.
a master bedroom
children’s rooms
darkroom for developing photos
wine cellar
study rooms

And many other rooms. The castle’s stairway and floor are made of oak and the roof is made of zinc tiles.

In 1954, when the castle was completed, Lord Egerton moved into the castle, alone and lived there till his death in 1958. The castle has been unoccupied since then and it’s for that reason the castle is commonly called the “castle without a prince”

The story of the Castle is that the castle is said to have been built by Lord Egerton to impress his fiancé who had turned down his marriage offer because he lived in a small house.

When Lord Egerton purchased the Land in Nakuru during the colonial era, he built himself two houses which were moderately small. The first had two bedrooms and his fiancé didn’t like it, so he built the second one with four bedrooms. While staying in the second house, Lord Egerton asked his fiancé to move in with him but the lady still turned his offer down calling Lord Egerton’s house a chicken house.

With that inspiration Lord Egerton decided to construct a castle that would suit the taste of his fiancé; however even after building the castle, when he presented it to his fiancé, she still turned down the Lord’s offer calling the castle a museum. This left the Lord and he decided to stay in the castle alone till the time of his death. Lord Egerton died is said to have died of chest complications.

Lord Egerton from that disappointment grew a very strong dislike for women and he never married in his lifetime plus he never allowed any women in his castle. In fact he had signs placed around the castle that stated, any woman who approached the castle would be shot.

In reference to Lord Egerton’s story, some people refer to the castle as the “The place where the suitor missed the target.”

The uniqueness and the story of this castle attract people from everywhere that flock the place to experience this castle and witness first hand this marvelous mansion.

The castle was opened to the Public in 2005 and since then became a top destination for weddings, luxurious and cosy events, corporate events, cocktails among other events. The castle’s wealthy and extravagant designs coupled with the well-maintained lawns and flower gardens together with its last century feel make this castle simply attractive and a must-visit for anyone.

Different Persons visit the Lord Egerton castle throughout the year and people that visit the Lord Egerton castle are guided through the castle’s 53 rooms by a trained tour guide and the guests pay a fee of 150 KSHS and 75 KSHS for children to have this guided tour.

It’s normal for the number of guests at this castle to be quite overwhelming so guests may be asked to take turns in touring the castle.

During a tour of the castle, the guests also get to see various ancient machinery and equipment as well as ancient gargets that were used in the colonial era.

The castle also offers several outdoor activities that its guests can engage in on their visit to the castle. The activities include football, ball games, rope skipping, hide and seek, and many more.

The Lord Egerton Castle is open all throughout the year and to get to the Lord Egerton castle you use the Nairobi- Nakuru highway from Nairobi.

The Lord Egerton Castle is managed by Egerton University.