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Fonthill Castle
Built between 1908 and 1912, Fonthill Castle is modeled after a 13th-century Rhenish castle, with Gothic doorways, 32 sudden stairways, dead ends and 44 rooms, each in a different shape.
Harvard-educated Henry Chapman Mercer built his storybook stone mansion, with its turrets and balconies, from the inside out and without using blueprints.
The ceilings and walls are embedded with handcrafted tiles from Mercer’s kilns at the adjacent Moravian Pottery and Tile Works, along with ancient tiles from around the world.
Fonthill’s 200 windows, each in a different size and shape, are fun to look at, and many are studded with Mercer’s colorful tiles, of course.
Mercer built his storybook stone mansion without using blueprints.
Henry Chapman Mercer, an expert in prehistoric archaeology, a homespun architect and a writer of Gothic tales, built three memorable structures, including Fonthill Castle, the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works and the Mercer Museum. These historic attractions make up what’s now known as the Mercer Mile.
Each of the buildings was constructed with reinforced concrete using a technique perfected by Mercer in the early part of the 1900s.
Mercer’s collection of books, prints and Victorian engravings are preserved in this grand home, whose stark concrete exterior belies the ornate and eccentric style of the interior.
The castle offers guided tours, which typically take about an hour.
Fonthill also hosts community-oriented events like volunteer environmental cleanup days, youth workshops and lectures from renowned experts, always with old-fashioned charm.
For the holidays in December, Fonthill invites visitors to admire the castle’s elaborate Christmas decorations, participate in make-your-own workshops and enjoy festive refreshments to celebrate the spirit of the season.
The Visit Philly Overnight Package — booked more than 190,000 times since 2001 — comes with free hotel parking (worth up to $100 in Center City Philadelphia), overnight hotel accommodations and choose-your-own-adventure perks.