Casa Loma

- Sir Henry Pellatt's castle, Casa Loma neighbourhood, North Toronto

To the North of central Toronto you find Casa Loma, an impressive house in gothic revival style. This is Toronto's own castle, formerly a mansion by Sir Henry Pellatt, built 1909-14. Pellatt became rich by providing electricity to Toronto's citizens. After Pellatt went bankrupt due to bad housing speculations, the city of Toronto bought it in 1937. Casa Loma has 98 rooms on seven floors. The grandiose interior is open to public (Grand Hall, bedrooms, bathrooms, garage, gardens etc), and can be visit. The exterior is quirky and features towers that look like they come from a medieval German castle. The architect, E.J. Lennox, also designed other famous Toronto landmarks. The Grand Hall is the center of the building, a two-storey atrium with expensive furniture. The Oak Room, Windsor Room, the library, Sir Henry's suite, mrs Pellatt's suite, bathrooms, the terrace, several other rooms and the gardens can all be visited. The rooms are complete with furniture, and you will find music instruments here and there. In the Oak Room you find a wing for example, and in the Grand Hall an organ. There is an exhibition about Toronto's past dark side, such at poverty and the great fire, in the somewhat creepy tunnels underneath. The tunnels take you to the garage and carriage building, that is situated several blocks away from the castle, and is an impressive building itself. Currently the garage and stable building has an exhibition of 1900s cars and wagons. In the castle there are also exhibitions about sculptures, art, military uniforms and contemporary clothes.

During the years, Casa Loma has been a popular filming location, for example X-Men and Cocktail were filmed there. The neighbourhood around the castle is also called Casa Loma. Casa Loma is very beautiful and a must visit when in Toronto. On a very hot and sunny day, we hopped on the Big Bus double decker, and made a stop at Casa Loma. It is a popular place for weddings, and during our visit there was one wedding. Casa Loma can also be rented, after closing hours.