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Built:
1969- 0
Designed by: Jim Bishop
Type: Palace-Castle-Fortress
Maximum height: 160 feet / 49 meters
Location: Colorado 165
City: Beulah
State: Colorado
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T
here is an adage that states, "If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself." The Bishop's castle is an admirable example of that thinking. Started in 1969 by Jim Bishop, the castle is a bit of architectural fantasy snug against the San Isabel National Forest in the mountains of Colorado. The land was destined to become a castle long before Mr. Bishop knew it, himself. But his neighbors could see it. He started the project intending to erect a cottage with the abundant local stone. As that stone was laid around a large water tank, people started to joke that it looked like the Bishop home was beneath a castle turret. It was several years before Mr. Bishop would see it, too. But once he did, his focus was attenuated – he was going to build a fairy tale castle on the land he loved. His ideas are so strongly rooted and so well thought out that there are no blueprints or plans. The king of this castle simply visualizes what he wants the next segment to look like, and then goes to work bending iron, felling trees, cutting rock and laying mortar. Decades of work have yielded surprising results. The castle is replete with arches, decorated with intricate ironwork, and sports a bell tower, a steeple, and stained glass windows. There is even a dragon on the premises. Its scales are stainless steel scrap from a local hospital, and it breathes fire from a hot air balloon burner. But the work of one man's hands cannot complete the project. The great castles of Europe were built by hundreds or thousands of people over the course of many years. In order for Jim to compete, and see his work finished in his lifetime, a group of volunteers has been allowed to build ancillary structures like the castle walls, and the gate.
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