Imagine a castle of rough stone, towering against the backdrop of mighty firs. Forged bridges and balconies line the tall towers. A dragon's head dangling predatory over the main entrance, from whose mouth flames burst. This is not a set for The Lord of the Rings, but Bishop's Castle - an extraordinary creation, created by the hands of one person.
One of the most picturesque states in America, Colorado is known not only for its amazing national parks. Every year, many tourists come here, lured by such an unusual landscape of the state: on one side there are the Rocky Mountains, on the other - the famous Great Plains, the extraordinary Colorado plateau with its famous canyons and semi-deserts.
But apart from all this, it is also home to one of the most famous castles on the planet. And it's not about its inhabitants - the inhabitants of this wonderful place are not royalty. Bishop Castle is an amazing creation, which appeared thanks to the perseverance and solidity of its owner. It is not for nothing that this unique architectural structure is called “a monument to hard work”.
From the history of origin
It is known that most of the architectural monuments have a long history of construction. Hundreds and thousands of people built famous structures for the nobility and to decorate their city. It is all the more incredible that Bishop Castle is the creation of one person.
While still a teenager, Jim Bishop bought himself a piece of land in the mountains with almost his last money. After a while, he began building his house. Since the Bishop family did not have any more funds, the young man began to use natural stones in the construction of the foundation, which he collected near the surrounding mountains. Surprisingly, it was this practical solution that determined the entire appearance of the future family nest.
Seeing Bishop's efforts, many people who had to observe the process of building a house told the young man that thanks to his work, not another pretty house comes out, but a strange medieval structure. The young American not only was not upset about this, but since then decided to actually build a real castle.
Having no special education, or even any architectural knowledge, Bishop not only was not afraid to create a dwelling for himself, but also began to build it without a single plan and drawing. All forms of the future castle, layout and design were only in the mind of the master, and then they were already embodied in life by his skillful hands. Of course, such a bold decision entailed a number of mistakes that slowed down, and sometimes even stopped construction, nevertheless, Bishop painstakingly worked on the mistakes and in the end was able to build a castle for himself and his family.
Today Jim Bishop is a man of old age. However, this does not prevent him from further realizing in practice his plans for the place of his dreams. For example, in the near future he plans to create a moat around the castle, and make a cross-over for the passage. This, according to the master, will finally complete his idea.
Nevertheless, to this day, Bishop Castle is equipped with everything that is included in our understanding of medieval castles. There are towers, bridges and balconies, which are made of wrought iron and are connected with each other, stained glass windows, a chapel and even a bell tower. The most unusual decoration of the castle is a fire-breathing dragon, which is located right above the main entrance. He is fire-breathing in the literal sense of the word, tk. flames burst from his mouth several times a day. The dragon's nostrils serve as a special opening for the chimney, and therefore clouds of smoke constantly fly out of them. Isn't it a decoration for a fairy tale?
Unusual facts about Bishop Castle
Tower of eternal memory. Many do not believe that Bishop built this unique building of stone and iron alone. Nevertheless, this is true. The master refused to help his loved ones after the accident. During the construction of the castle, his son died, who only recently turned 4 years old. Since then, one of the towers of the castle bears the name of the boy. After that, Bishop decided that he could not endanger his family. An exception is the farthest corner of the courtyard, which was created with the help of Jim's father.
Monument to the fight against bureaucrats. After the castle of Bishop was erected, the local authorities grabbed their heads in horror: how did it happen that instead of a small and inconspicuous house, Bishop built such a stone giant that attracts the attention of tourists from all over the world? And today the authorities are trying to challenge the legality of the grounds on which the miracle builder received his site. However, Bishop does not pay attention to this, and while his wife and a professional lawyer deal with bureaucrats, he continues to build and make his dreams come true.
Book of Consent. Bishop gladly invites tourists to its place. With even greater pleasure, he himself conducts excursions to all corners of the castle. But due to the fact that no professionals took part in the construction, all insurance companies unanimously refused to cooperate with Bishop and those who were attracted by his family nest. Therefore, before entering the castle, each tourist is asked to sign in the book that he has no complaints if any accident occurs, because Bishop Castle is still a construction site.
Bishop Castle in numbers
Jim Bishop was 15 years old when he decided to make his dream of building his own castle a reality.
Bishop needed more than 1,000 tons of rock stones to create his dream nest.
2 meters is the length of the flame that flies out of the dragon's mouth. However, the master plans to increase the range of fire to 9 meters.
50 meters is the length of the tallest tower of the castle.
Free entry to Bishop Castle today. At the same time, the creator himself conducts interesting excursions. In case this place makes the same impression on you, then you will be grateful for the donation.
There is no limit for true romantics. Standing on an openwork wrought iron staircase or catching the reflection of the setting sun in the stained-glass windows of this extraordinary structure - you will never again be able to doubt your abilities. After all, a person's desire is only the first step towards the realization of his dream, no matter how crazy it is. And it is Bishop's castle that is a clear proof of this.
Another interesting place in the USA is the Carlsbad Caves.
