So, my mom and I were driving up in the mountains.  We’d visited Lake Isabelle (that will be a different post), and were headed to the Royal Gorge, when we saw this:

“Mom, look at the ladder.”

“Huh?”

“Why would there be a ladder up there?”

Suddenly, there was a castle.

Uh, what?

Bishop Castle is built on the side of a mountain at 9200 feet above sea level, along Colorado Highway 165, 25 miles or so west of Pueblo, Colorado.  It’s history is…interesting.  Jim Bishop has been building the castle (with help from friends) for the last forty or so years.  It started as a cabin, but quickly grew to something different.  Like all people with a hint of lunacy, there are quirks, questionable decisions, and some dangerous construction.  The county would like to see him and his castle go away, but I don’t think it’s going anywhere anytime soon.  Jim Bishop reminds me a lot of the late Bob Cassily, the inspiration behind St. Louis’ City Museum.  Jim uses a lot of recycled materials, including ironwork, glass, stone, and lumber.  What has been created is a marvel – stone archways supporting the base of the building, 12-inch logs supporting the upper floors, iron-work steps, railings, and embellishments, huge windows paneled with stained glass, and even a metal-plated dragon watching over it all.

Visitors are encouraged to climb the spiral stairs, some made of iron, some made of concrete, to reach the upper floors.  I climbed to the first floor on a tightly-wound set of spiral stairs made of concrete, and climbed to the second floor on a wide but narrow-stepped iron mesh spiral staircase.  Outside the second floor, I walked around on an open wire-floored walkway with twisted iron railings and banisters.  The view from the second floor of the castle was magnificent.  There were at least two more floors above, all with outside staircases, but I ventured no higher.

Mom stayed on the ground, not unsurprisingly!

There was a small gift shop, heated with a cranky-looking homemade wood stove, and guarded by three tame roosters.  In summer months, there is a secondary building (built of the same wood/stone/iron as the castle) that houses a small restaurant.  The entire grounds are covered with the detritus of the work – lumber, stone, mud, concrete, iron, and plenty of winches and small cranes to lift things.  The entire thing was a wonder to see.  You could see and feel the madness of the creator, but you also couldn’t help but marvel at the creation of the castle.

Bishop Castle is free, they just ask that you behave, don’t break anything, and have a big donation box.  We were happy to make a donation.  And as for that ladder on the side of the cliff?  We have no idea why it was there, as it was just standing there, not leaning on anything at all and at least 20 feet from anything else.

The whole castle.

Bridge archway – this looked like someday it would have a moat under it.  Or maybe not.

Iron archway over entrance to steps I took from the ground floor to the first floor.

Wooden logs used as beams overhead on the front portico.  These logs are presumably local pine, and about 12 inches in diameter.

Stone archways that support the second floor.  I’m standing on the first floor. Note the iron work inside each archway.  There were 8 archways total.

Stained glass windows on the first floor, looking east. 

The stained glass window on the second floor, after I climbed up open wire and iron-work spiral steps to get there.  Scary!  But the view.  Wow.

Cantilevered windows on the second floor, facing north.  I was able to open and close them with my foot by pushing the bar furthest to the left next to the mounting pole.  Really great work on this feature.

For those cold castle nights – a fireplace!

Me on the outside walkway.  Mom took this one

Stained glass window from the outside.

Sitting outside the gift shop on a seat carved from a single log.  No, it wasn’t all that comfortable!

Close up of the outside of the castle.

This little wooden castle was on a trailer off to the side of the castle.  Maybe it was a model of how it was supposed to look when it is done, but we aren’t sure.

Mailbox out front. 

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