Lord Egerton Castle story is the foundation of the often-trending Kenyan hashtag ‘fearwomen’. More often than not, men find themselves questioning their sanity after being ‘character developed’ by their spouses and girlfriends. However, many people joining the movement don’t understand that women’s modern-day rejection and frustration go way back and didn’t spare British royals.
One such man is Lord Maurice Egerton, a descendant of a British royal family. His colossal wealth and business acumen didn’t spare him from the heartbreak of the century. Read on and find out how his castle tied to his failed love story and why it’s famous in Kenyan history.
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What is Lord Egerton Castle Story About?
An undeserving heartbreak is the reason why the Lord Egerton Castle story exists today. Born in Britain in 1874, he grew up as a royalty even serving in the Royal Navy until 1920. Lord Egerton was one of three siblings who passed on earlier. He was left with his father who later died making him the sole heir of Egerton’s fortune. He left Britain for an African expedition but Kenya impressed him more that he decided to settle down there permanently.
Lord Egerton Castle in Njoro, Nakuru County. Photo/Wikipedia
His focus was on a 21,000-acre piece of land owned by Lord Delamere. It presented a new opportunity for him to venture into agribusiness. A zealous Lord Egerton convinced the Delamere family to sell this swath of land to which they agreed. He immediately started farming in line with his plan and this opened a new chapter in his life that ended with spite and gender rage.
The Historical Heartbreak
The fourth Baron of Egerton fell in love with a young beautiful British girl named Victoria living in Kenya. She was from the late Queen Elizabeth’s lineage. Victoria was the perfect match for an Egerton to settle down with as royalty demands. He built a four-roomed cottage in his farm located in Njoro, Nakuru County and invited her to see it hoping it would amaze her. However, she disapproved of the cottage likening it to a bird’s nest. In hindsight, this marked the beginning of Lord Egerton Castle story.
The smitten British royal embarked on building a bigger house befitting his crush’s status. He hired a fellow English architect, Albert Brown to build a castle. Brown understood the assignment and hired 100 masons of Italian and Indian origin in 1938 who built a stunning castle surrounded by well-manicured lawns, canopies and wild shrubs.
By 1952, the house was complete and Lord Egerton invited Victoria to see the house. Shockingly, she wasn’t impressed and termed it a dog’s kernel which angered the fourth Baron of Egerton. He had hoped that the castle’s architectural magnificence would finally woo her into marrying him but this was just a figment of his imagination. He would later learn that a gorgeous English lady got married to another British Lord based in Australia.
Lord Egerton Castle in Njoro in Nakuru County. Photo/Tripadvisor
Angry, dejected and heartbroken, Lord Egerton ordered Brown to build additional rooms, barricades and alleyways in the castle. Everything in the castle screamed of royalty with British classic décor such as fireplace and wall décor. He then forbade women from getting into the castle or his huge property where he did farming. Trees near his farm had clear warnings that women were not welcome on his property. He developed a deep dislike for women and he vowed to spray a hail of bullets to any female who dared enter his property including his castle.
Why Did Lord Egerton Not Marry?
Victoria chose to marry another man instead of Lord Egerton who built her a castle in Nakuru with 52 rooms. She still chose another man despite Egerton’s effort to build a stunning home for 12 years. Historical anecdotes state that the English royalty never came to terms with Victoria’s heartlessness. He wondered why a woman from the queen’s lineage would reject an industrious English baron who put up a special home for her in 12 years.
His agony birthed Lord Egerton Castle story now told to generations after he died in 1958. The property is presently an attractive tourism spot managed by Egerton University, named in honour of his agricultural exploits. Women are now allowed to visit the castle unlike 60 years ago when no female was allowed close to the property.
What is Special About Lord Egerton Castle
The architecture and size of the property make this castle special. Besides having 52 rooms, it has the following
- An English-styled kitchen
- A guest lounge
- A library
- A separate study room
- Theatre room
- Guesthouses
- Darkroom dedicated to photography and drawing
- Huge organ player lying on two floors
- 411 sound pipes
Lord Egerton loved performing arts so much that he had three musical artists fly from England to his castle yearly to perform for him. This drove away his loneliness since he lost hope in loving another woman after Victoria. Nerv, he succumbed to chest complications in 1958.
