On
gibbet, hill overlooking the local rural community stands an unusual ruin a
politician and soldier General William Bancroft in
1906 said about building his ornate retirement house here
The estate was to be named Shah Field Mont
After a short period of time he ran out of money after building just the tower and a smaller stone house
After a decade living there, he then sold the house to a local doctor Harold Ayres who used it as an upscale sanatorium
This establishment flourished during a period in which such fashionable retreats for the rich were popular
These patients actively searched for a home away from home and an escape from the crowded sanatorium since state hospitals of the day
The doctors patients would pay $80 a month for the fresh air and treatments there for their tuberculosis in a private setting
However by 1930 the sanatorium closed and the building became a dance hall and social event center for fox hunting
Finally one festive day on the 4th of July
1932 an errant firecracker or firework set the building ablaze and it was destroyed in the fire
the remnants were torn down in 1960 along with a nearby barn today it sits alone on the hill a
subject for ghost stories of disembodied gallows victims and passing photographers
As we first ascend the muddy and slippery Hill skirting the adjacent Bulls field the tower quickly jets from the horizon
followed by the Stonehouse ruins
It's a dark and dismal II great winter day and the golden yellow stones
Stands slightly out from the more subdued tones of the skies around it
Finds cling to its top walls almost obscuring them
Twisted trees ring the top of jibbety Hill circling the ruin
To the left was a dirt driveway leading down the hill running in a cleft to the road below
Where a tree trunk horse post and stone gate still stand today
Walking into the entrance one is immediately confronted with two arches likely meant to impress the visitor
Well, I have found that seemingly no house plans exist of the site
It would appear this room would have been a large living space maybe with a kitchen
With a stair leading to the second level near the right corner
Above the first fireplace is a second one on the stack and then a distinctively shaped chimney jetting above
To the houses rear stood the tower which extends another two storeys above the houses attached second-story
On this second level. It's easy to imagine bedrooms for the patients at the sanatorium
The tower itself would have likely held a master bedroom and attached rooms for the doctor
From this bundle of rusted pipes would have come the water supply for the building
We head back through the arch and up the hill towards the tower
Looking up it's easy to see how this three-story Tower was meant as a centerpiece of the house
It must have not only afforded great views, but been very warm from the fireplaces burning at this time of the year
At the very top are crenellations in a large window likely for the exact purpose of taking in the surrounding countryside
It may have been more of a viewing platform than anything else
perhaps general pan Croft was inspired like Yeats
Who wrote of his own restoration of his tower house for Belle Ely in?
1928
ipace upon the battlements and stair on the foundations of a house or where
Tree like a city finger starts from the earth and send imagination forth
Under the day's declining beam and call images and memories
From Rouen or from ancient trees for I would ask a question of them all
New owners have been kind enough to allow hiking access here more recently and even added a handrail
As we wrap up the visit we notice fresh fur mixed with the snow a rabbit has been recently killed and plunked clean and
As if on cue hawks circle above
Fur leads to a nearby bush where it was likely Eden
I
Have been here at the tower through the seasons and the full beauty of this place comes when nature returns to its walls and decorates
Them with the bright reds and greens
it is unlikely the old general or the doctor thought within such a short time that their ornate our house would end as a
picturesque ruin on a hill
If you ever have the chance, I urge you to visit Bancroft castle and experience this special place for yourself
That's it for today as we head into spring
We are kicking off the new season with a bang join us next episode as we take you through a huge
abandoned and decaying Ward for the violent and criminally insane at one of the United States largest and oldest mental asylums a
special thank you for your support goes out to George case and
Margaret small
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