When people are too rich!
- readyandaball
- Aug 17, 2018
- 2 min read
We were told to visit Hearst Castle at San Simeon. http://hearstcastle.org/
This was a house and ranch complex built in the hills above San Simeon overlooking the central California coast. It was built on the old camping spot of William Randolph Hearst. Now this man was a Media Mogul at the start of the 20th Century. The Rupert Murdoch, Kerry Packer - maybe even a Zuckerberg of his time.
It was started in 1919 and constantly added to until 1947. Hearst died in 1951.
This place is a mix of 1920’s movie sham opulence and extravagance, combined with use of original works of art and history as Hearst was an antique collector, it’s also a museum. The refectory looks like a classic castle eating hall - except the room is from 1920’s, but the decor is from 1700’s Europe!
This place was frequented by the rich and famous of the time. Charlie Chaplin, Winston Churchill, Harpo Marx, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford and many more. But, we were told if the guest didn't join in, or weren't interesting, their bags were packed for them by the staff!
There are three houses, or Casa's, with Casa Grande being the biggest. The houses, terraces, swimming pools and gardens were designed by the first female qualified architect in the US - Julia Morgan.
One of the most stunning things was the Neptune Pool - we were lucky enough to be there the day it was being filled after 4 years of restoration to stop it leaking.
It looks like a movie set - great facades- historical carvings, wooden details that are almost all original antiques - but when you get to the back of the building it’s only cast concrete! Although, this cast reinforced concrete construction means it has survived the 6.6 San Simeon earthquake of 2003 unscathed.
You can only visit through a formal tour - which you start from the visitor center. You drive up through the ranch. In Hearst time this was also a zoo, with antelope, zebra, kangaroo roaming wild. He even had enclosures for Polar bears, Lions and other exotic animals. In fact, the Zebra and a type of mountain goat still roam the range.
Is it worth a visit - yes - just. It is an insight into the culture and history of California and the US in the 20’s & 30’s. It is quite a static museum and if you’ve seen Europe in anyway then there’s nothing too surprising.
The Castle looks out over the coastline and an interesting stop is just another 4-5miles north on the I1. It's a bay where Elephant Seals live. You can see them beached up. The biggest get to about 12ft/4m in length and over 3000lbs/1500kgs ! It was also an awesome spot for sunset.
