April at the Castle

The last chill of winter is finally loosening its grip on the castle grounds, and with it comes the first tangible signs that Hilltop Castle is stirring back to life. After four years of darkness, candlelight has begun to flicker again in three of the castle's windows — a sight that stops us in our tracks each evening as the sun sets over Cohasset.

The Windows Return

John Jenkins has cracked the code for restoring the castle's distinctive eight-pane windows. The first rehabilitation is complete, and what a process it turned out to be. Finding the right approach meant experimenting with stain removal techniques, mixing two different stain colors to achieve the perfect match, and sourcing the proper brass components — everything from wood screws to the indent stops that sit atop each window.

The brass hinges, handles, and slides required their own careful polishing technique, and the final protective finish — spar urethane in semi-gloss — brings out the wood's natural character while promising years of protection. With the recipe perfected, window number two is already underway.

Reclaiming the Grounds

Jorge Ramos and his landscaping crew have begun the substantial task of wrestling the castle grounds back from four years of unchecked growth. The transformation after just their first day of work was remarkable — clearing overgrowth from the front approach, the rear kitchen entrance, and around the carriage house revealed pathways and architectural details that had been completely obscured.

Nature had been making a determined bid to reclaim the property, and it will take several more days of careful work to restore proper balance between the castle and its landscape.

Light and Life Return

Inside, the real work of restoration has begun in earnest. The Great Hall, kitchen, and dining room are finally clear of debris — a full 30-yard dumpster worth of accumulated damage and neglect. The marble floors in the Great Hall bore the scars of vandalism in the form of thrown paint, but the water-based paint is coming off cleanly without permanent damage to the stone.

Stanley Steamer's power cleaning equipment made short work of years of grime on the kitchen and dining room tile floors, revealing surfaces we hadn't seen in years. The difference was so dramatic that we'll likely bring them back for a second round once the plumbing repairs and wall work are complete.

What's Ahead

With the window restoration process refined, we'll continue working through the remaining seven windows while the landscaping crew finishes their comprehensive cleanup of the grounds. Inside, plumbing repairs and wall restoration will prepare the main floor rooms for their eventual return to proper grandeur.

Most importantly, those three candlelit windows are just the beginning. Each restored room will add its own glow to the castle, until once again Hilltop Castle stands as the beacon it was meant to be.

-- The Keepers of Hilltop Castle