History Wickliffe Castle, more commonly known as the Castle at Maryvale, was designed by Wilson L
History
Wickliffe Castle, more commonly known as the Castle at Maryvale, was designed by Wilson L. Smith, a Baltimore architect at the request of Dr. Walter Wickes, who had purchased 182 acres (0.74 km2) of the former Brooklandwood Estate. A present for Dr. Wickes' new bride, the home was completed after two years in 1916 for a total of $250,000. The carefully designed replica of a medieval English home has many features popular in the Tudor period and includes some authentic furniture from this period. The castle is similar in design to that of Warwick Castle, in Warwickshire, England. Dr. and Mrs. Wickes raised four children in their home.
During Prohibition, the Wickes are said to have thrown parties with alcohol. Throughout the castle, there are secret cabinets within the paneled walls that may have held alcohol. There is also a tunnel underneath the castle that ran from Wickcliffe Castle to Green Spring Valley, though it is no longer in function.
The Castle at Maryvale
Shortly after Mrs. Wickes' death, Dr. Wickes sold the property to the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1945 for $75,000. The sisters converted the home into a Catholic boarding school that opened in September 1945 with just twelve boarders and eight day students, representing almost all grades between kindergarten and 12th. The school operated as a boarding school until 1956, when the last few boarding students graduated. Much of the original furniture can still be found in the Castle, some pieces dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries.
The Castle now serves as the home to many of the administrative offices. The first floor of the Castle holds the school's library and a small chapel that is used for Catholic ceremonies, including many weddings each year. The second and third floors contain offices, classrooms, the infirmary, and a few small rooms where some Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur reside. Each year, a number of events are held in the Castle, such as the Junior Ring Dance, the Senior Sleepover and Commencement, which is held on the Terrace.
The Castle serves as a venue for outside events, such as weddings, parties and corporate events. It can also be found in popular culture, most notably in the 1997 Clint Eastwood movie, Absolute Power. Furnishings, work and renovations completed for the movie, including a drapery on the second floor and carpeting on the main staircase, were left in place.
Major renovations to the Castle were completed in 2006.
- It is used by a boarding school
- Rooms can be rented
- No free visiting