Exploring Lord Egerton Castle, Nakuru

Found approximately some 14 kilometers (9 miles) from Nakuru town lies the small township of Njoro. This is not a very common tourist destination in Nakuru, but whenever its name is mentioned, one can’t fail to hear the word “Egerton.”

With swelling hills and rolling shrubland in the background, Lord Egerton Castle found at Njoro, Nakuru is a magnificent architecture with state-of-the-art landscapes and picturesque views. More importantly, this is a place rich in history, which takes you back to the colonial era in Kenya.

The story behind Lord Egerton Castle is a heart-wrenching tale of unrequited love. It starts when Lord Maurice Egerton found his way to Africa from England.

Having been born to a noble family, Maurice Tatton was the sole heir of Alan de Tatton and Lady Anna Louisa Taylor. At only 36, Maurice succeeded his father as the 4th Baron of Egerton, in 1920.

lord-egerton-nakuru

Lord Egerton

He took an avid interest in photography and traveling and was one of the first aviators in the early 1900s. His exploits brought him to Africa where he traversed Rhodesia, Uganda, and finally ended up in the then-British colony of Kenya.

Lord Egerton settled in an area that is today known as Nakuru. Here, he built a modest – by royal standards – six-bedroom house on a 22,000-acre piece of property in 1927.

As fate would have it, he met an Austrian woman and fell deeply in love. In a bid to convince her to marry him and produce heirs, as custom dictated, Lord Maurice invited her to his house.

Legend has it the beautiful woman did not spend an hour in the compound, brusquely telling him that she “could not live in a chicken coop.”

This rebuff prompted Lord Egerton to roll up his sleeves, and in a bid to prove his worth, create a rather elaborate palace befitting royalty. The work commenced, bolstered by a troop of Italian masons, over 100 Indian handymen, and English architect Albert Brown to craft a magnificent four-story, 52-room mansion.

The finest construction materials were shipped to Kenya from Italy and England. High-quality stone for the walls and elegant zinc roof tiles were brought in. Polished wood for the finishes was imported. An escalator was even built, among other high-tech electronic gadgets.

When the castle was finally complete in 1938, Lord Egerton once again invited the woman of his dreams to see it. And once again she turned him down, claiming the house was “no better than a dog’s kennel.”

She departed and left a devastated Lord Egerton. It is said she soon got married to another British lord in Australia.

If rejection breaks hearts, then Lord Egerton’s was shattered into a million splinters. He gave up on women completely, and immersed himself totally in farming and education, ignoring all else around him. He also prohibited any and all women from setting foot on the 100-acre grounds on which the castle stood.

He developed a bizarre dislike for dogs and chicken, for obvious reasons. Legend has it that whenever he visited any of his African farmhands’ cottages, he decreed that all women in the homestead depart before his arrival. Lord Egerton spent the rest of his life in solitude, until his death in 1958. The name of the woman associated with his misery has never been mentioned in any account of his life story.

In an ironic twist to this bitter story, Lord Egerton Castle is now a favorite spot for lovers. Weddings, engagement proposals, and lovers’ picnics are held here on a regular basis. It is certainly a spot worth visiting.

The well-manicured green lawns and the imposing British-styled castle offer a picturesque backdrop for romance and romantic events. The castle without a princess still stands, bearing testament to the extent to which love can drive a man, and the depths to which rejection can sink him.

Lord Egerton Castle Prices

The Lord Egerton Castle Nakuru prices are pretty low for both residents and non-residents.

Kenyan Citizens

GroupLord Egerton Castle Pricing in Kshs (2022)
Adults150
Tertiary Institutions120
Secondary Schools100
Primary Schools75

Residents

Group Lord Egerton Castle Pricing in Kshs (2022)
Adults450
Tertiary Institutions240
Secondary Schools200
Primary Schools150

Non-residents

GroupLord Egerton Castle Pricing in USD (2022)
Adults12
Tertiary Institutions10
Secondary Schools8
Primary Schools6

Comments

March 23, 2021
[…] some 14 kilometres from Nakuru town lies the magnificent Lord Egerton Castle. The heartbreaking story of love and betrayal makes Lord Egerton Castle an ideal destination for […]
July 22, 2021
[…] Lord Egerton Castle is 14 kilometers from Nakuru. Lord Egerton began construction on the castle for his bride-to-be in 1938, and he completed it in 1954. But, unfortunately, she declined, referring to his (six-bedrooms) home at the time as a “bird’s nest.” […]
Zipporah WAMBUI waweru
January 17, 2022
hi, i need your contacts
Gilbert
January 28, 2022
Hi, please reach out to us on 0797838343 or shoot us an email hello@destinationskenya.com and we will be sure to respond promptly. Thanks
April 10, 2023
[…] famous building in Kenya embodies a tragic but interesting love story like Lord Egerton Castle. It was constructed by Lord Egerton to impress his fiance. However, she didn’t appreciate the […]

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