The Trustees: Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Part 3

Back in September 2025, I took the comprehensive, 2.5-hour “Grand Stairs to Back Stairs” tour of Castle Hill on the Crane Estate in Ipswich, MA, which is managed by The Trustees of Reservations. Due to the length and breadth of the tour, this is a three-part series, with one post released per day over the next three days. During Part 1, I focused on the building of the estate, the early history of the Crane family, and the first few stops on the tour. During Part 2, I described the life of the family and the middle section of the tour. In Part 3, I describe the view from the roof, a snack, behind the scenes, and movies filmed on the property.

Overhead view of a massive green lawn lined with hedges and trees rolling down to the ocean. A winding staircase leading from a nautical-themed room to a hole in the ceiling. On top of an L-shaped red brick building with three towering chimneys. In the distance is a beach by the ocean.

The roof was reached by climbing up a narrow, winding staircase in a nautical-themed room, which was set up for tea. From the roof, visitors could see the Grand Allée designed by Arthur Shurcliff leading down to the Atlantic Ocean on one side, Choate Island where Cornelius Crane and Miné Sawahara Crane are buried, and the spacious parking lot with a small visitor shed. My favorite feature of the rooftop was the octagonal cupola, which reminded me of frequent blog guest Orson Squire Fowler, who wrote a book The Octagon House: A Home for All based on his love of eight-sided buildings. Other octagon spaces that I have visited include the octagon dining room at Historic New England’s Governor John Langdon House in Portsmouth, NH; the red-and-black Octagon Room at Historic New England’s Beauport, the Sleeper-McCann House in Gloucester, MA; the pink Captain Rodney J. Baxter House with a matching carriage barn in Hyannis, MA, the octagon attic at Forbes House in Milton, MA, and the octagon sunroom at Linden Place in Bristol, RI. When one visits as many houses as I do, one is bound to see a lot of octagons.

On a roof near a red chimney. In the distance is a tree-covered island near the shore. A small room with three visible walls and large windows looking out onto a roof with red brick chimneys Looking down a wooden staircase spiraling clockwise

Back in the nautical room, we had tea and little frosted ginger cookies from the Inn at Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, the other mansion on the property. After fortifying ourselves, we went to explore the servants’ side of the mansion. Hidden in a small closet, large metal pullies held up the dumbwaiter, which aided the servants in moving items between floors. A few side rooms were filled with antique furniture. The massive kitchen had two levels: an upper level balcony with a low ceiling that contained cabinets full of dishes, and the lower floor where food was prepared. The kitchen is still in use, as the mansion hosts catered events. My favorite item in the kitchen was a Cold War era galvanized steel drum produced by Rheem Manufacturing Company in Chicago, IL in 1962 for the Office of Civil Defense from the Department of Defense. The container was intended to store 17.5 gallons of drinking water or use as a commode in case of an emergency. Rheem celebrated its 100th anniversary last year in 2025 and now specializes in water heaters and HVAC systems.

A matching plate, teacup, and saucer. The teacup is filled with black tea. The plate holds a single frosted ginger cookie. Four large metal pulleys in a small closet. A balcony with upper and lower cabinets plus a low ceiling, suspended over a kitchen.

Down in the basement, the Crane family had the most modern heating, plumbing, electrical, and property-wide telephone systems for the early 20th century. The Trustees have funded restoration of these systems, so these not only all work but are more effienct than at the time of construction. A massive storiage area for coal resembled a concrete slide and still had coal at the bottom. Anecdotally, children at summer camp were once allowed by counselors to slide down it, and parents were displeased by the result. This area also had plenty of storage, including the molds for the concrete statues and busts found on the outside of the building and along the Grand Allée.

A cupola with a green metal roof and a simple weathervane on the roof of a large house. An early 20th century telephone system with complex pulleys and wires. A steep, narrow, and winding staircase covered in dust.

With this behind-the-scene exploration finished, we went back upstairs to see the giant family safe, which was about the size of my office, along with the Ballroom and the Ladies Cloak Room. The Ballroom is often used for events, including magic acts and stage plays with small casts. The Ladies Cloak Room recently underwent conservation of its Chinese export wallpaper, which dates to sometime between the late 18th and mid-19th centuries. Architect David Adler had chosen the wallpaper because English country houses at that time had similar designs. He even went to England to buy the twenty-eight partial and full rolls wallpaper. The beautiful bird and flower designs had become fade from exposure to light and water, along with fluctuating temperature and humidity. The paper conservation specialists Studio TKM Associates of Somerville, MA worked with the Trustees to restore the wall paper during 2019 and 2020.

A window between the two sections of the kitchen. Faux flowers, faux fruit, and wine glasses are on the three levels of the window. Antique chairs and other furniture crammed into a room with a low ceiling. A room covered in tile with a massive metal pie safe and a galvanized steel drum on top.

Besides tours and events, the Great House has been the site of film productions, but many were not very good. For example, The Next Karate Kid (1994) boldly wondered, “What if girls could learn karate?”, and reimagined the mansion as a Buddhist monastery. However, the house did appear in the highly acclaimed movie Little Women (2019) as a house in Paris and an artist studio for Amy March, the youngest of the titular little women. Historic New England’s Lyman Estate in Waltham, MA was also used in the film for scenes involving the porch and ballroom. When one visits as many houses as I do, one is bound to see a lot of movie sets.

Looking down on complex equimpent used to generate energy for a mansion. A wood and chicken wire cage with the stenciled words Danger No Admittance. Antique electrical equipment is inside the cage. A massive room with concrete and red brick walls. A concrete slide leads down to a pit with coal.

The Grand Stairs to Back Stairs Tour was the most thorough and conclusive house tour I have ever experienced. The guide had memorized about two hours of script and could answer every question. The tour cost $40 per person, as it was nearly triple the length of a traditional house tour. If this is the way you explore historic houses, it is worth the price. If this is too long for you, Castle Hill offers a wide range of other experiences that last under an hour, including tours with costumed staff, children’s events, and tours of the gardens. The Great House is well-lit, especially on a sunny day, and headset amplifiers are available upon request for visitors with hearing impairments. Like most historic houses, it is not accessible for those with limited mobility or using a wheelchair due to its many, many steps. Even as a young, athletic person, I had to pace myself climbing between floors and cross the Grand Allée. If you want to see a whole house on the North Shore, there is no better place to do it.

A small kitchen with a sink and cabinets. A large room filled with chairs and a high ceiling. Four large windows are covered with dark drapes. A small room with a coach, built-in shelving, and antique Chinese wallpaper depicting pink flowers, greenery, and native birds.

Abby Epplett’s Rating System

Experience: 10/10

Accessibility: 7/10



Location: 290 Argilla Rd, Ipswich, MA 01938, USA