Flycatcher Castle

The Ultimate Sculpture

Flycatcher Castle was designed as a massive sculpture to be created in bricks and concrete. Building operations started in May 2005 and six years later I am still doing some last minute finishing touches. Picture research of castles in Europe and Britain and onsite inspections of St. Colamba Presbyterian Church in Parkview, Johannesburg (built along the style of a castle in Scotland) were the most important preparatory steps before I started off with a clay marquette (about 600mm X 400mm X 200mm) and then handed it over to a gifted draughtsman who translated it into building language.

Several other aspects of design came into fruition only when specific building materials from old demolished buildings in Johannesburg or imported from Europe became available. For example, to create a uniform window style, all Oregan pine/steel framed pane windows in the front of the building came from a 1940's demolished house in Kensington, Johannesburg. The street lamp poles and main door entrance originated from Old Britain. The large old sandstone cornerstones originated from derelict houses in the Free State.

The castle has four towers: three main ones integrated into the main building and the fourth added at the back as part of the Ruby Royal Suite. To create a framed, balanced finish the largest and smallest towers (same height) were placed on extreme ends of a triangular structure and the second largest in the middle, immediately next to the baroque, main front facade. Castle Nuovou in Italy was an inspiration to create a grand baroque entrance façade that offers a strong contrast to the otherwise weathered look of the rest of the castle.

Herewith follows some pictures and short descriptions of some important features of Flycatcher Castle. However, they still present only a fraction of the overall detailed character.