![]() ![]() The panel work in the ceiling, ornate frieze, corbels, etc. ![]() ![]() ![]() One of two ballrooms, the other unfinished, the Grand Ballroom was constructed almost entirely without nails. Photo credits:, ,, , The Grand Ballroom Several windows even had Shakespearean quotes built into them (pictured below, top centre). The level of detail, colour and intricate line work used to finish these panes is as impressive now as it was then. Another notable designer of one of the windows was Louis Comfort Tiffany – the master behind Tiffany’s stained glass and son of the founder of Tiffany & Co. Mrs Winchester herself designed several of these pieces, including the spider web windows. The amount of stained glass employed in the house – as well as the pieces commissioned, but never fitted and now kept in storage upstairs – is astonishing. A maze of passages, levels and detail, it is utterly bamboozling to think of how one navigated the inside. The sheer scale of the house can be appreciated in the bottom left image. Stacked oriel windows, strapwork, corner towers, a pedimented porch and fish scale wood shingles are just some of the stylistic features to be seen – an American take on the Queen Anne style. It has to be said, for a house now hailed as one of the most haunted mansions in America, the exterior is ridiculously beautiful and bright a mighty example of Queen Anne Revival-style architecture. Talk about taking architectural and interior design to the next level… Extravagant Exterior & Size The incredible features found throughout the house are too many to mention, but we will examine some of them below. Sarah’s wealth and appreciation of invention also meant that the house had heated forced-air, indoor plumbing and even a hot shower for her use. With over 160 bedrooms, 2 basements, 47 fireplaces, thousands of panes of glass – including Tiffany stained glass – and even several elevators, the interior spaces are varied and full of beautiful detail. No-matter the story, the result is this magnificently complicated house, which once stood at 7 storeys, but now sits at 4, due to the earthquake of 1906. Not much is known about her personally and very few photographs survive, but grief would be a natural motive for needing such a mighty distraction. It’s likely that the more human side of this story is that the Winchester widow was simply in search of a project after the death of her husband and daughter. However, as she had a designated bedroom – with a rather stunning carved 4-poster bed – this seems far from fact. She is rumoured to have slept in different bedrooms each night, to trick the ghosts who were shadowing her. Construction continued for 38 years some say this occurred round the clock, without halt during that time (a disputed fact), only stopping upon its owner’s death in 1922. The more fantastic story behind the build is that Sarah believed the ghosts of all those killed by her company’s rifles could only be appeased – or avoided – by continuously building this house. The number 13 also had prominence, with panels, window panes and other features employing this curious number. Some passages lead nowhere, doors open to blank walls, stairs end with no way out, windows are set into floors, a door opens out to a 2-storey drop and much more. Sarah was the mastermind behind the build, dictating her wishes to her team of carpenters, constructing room after room, with no real goal in sight. This stunning house, which served as the personal residence for Mrs Winchester, is surrounded by folktales due to the unusual circumstances in which it was built, the extreme length of construction and odd layout. The Winchester Mansion – now known as the Winchester Mystery House – is a labyrinthine structure built in San Jose, California by Sarah Winchester, the widow of firearm businessman William Wirt Winchester, who upon his death, left his wife a fortune beyond belief, as well as a portion of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company – the force behind the Winchester Rifle. ![]()
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