
Built by a successful shoe manufacturer named Thomas Plant in 1913, the Lucknow Estate was situated on a 6,300-acre property in Moultonborough, New Hampshire, overlooking the Ossipee Mountains. The original estate was extravagant — it featured a 16-room mansion, stables, six-car garage, tennis court, manmade lake, greenhouse, boathouse on Lake Winnipesaukee, and miles of on-property walking and carriage trails. The mansion and associated property speaks to the success of Plant, who erected the structures at a time when the average individual didn’t own one car, let alone multiple.
The mansion, which featured progressive architectural and construction technology like steel beams and poured concrete, also was designed to blend seamlessly into the natural landscape surrounding it, showing his appreciation for the beauty of the Lakes Region.
The Lucknow Estate was opened to the public in 1959 under the name “Castle in the Clouds,” becoming a tourist attraction in the years ahead while maintaining the grandeur it was originally intended to have.
Today, the Castle’s future continues to be preserved, ensuring guests for generations to come will be able to explore a piece of Lakes Region history. Those who visit will find a number of things to do while they’re there.