Hearst Castle - inner sanctum

Naturally, one of my favourite rooms in the castle is the library. Thousands of books are stacked all the way up to the glorious antique ceiling.

If I'd ever really been a guest here I don't think I would have needed a bedroom. I could have cheerfully slept in the library. I wouldn't have been in anyone's way either. The room is enormous.

Mr Hearst's own bedroom is surprisingly simple. It has the obligatory fabulous ceiling and antique furniture, but so do all the guest rooms. The portrait of Mr Hearst's mother still hanging on the wall by the bed is the most personal touch in the entire museum house.

Mr Hearst's bedroom adjoins a spacious sitting room. On the other side of that sitting room is the bedroom of his long-term, movie star companion, Marion Davies. He never divorced his wife, but Marion Davies, 34 years his junior, was Mr Hearst's devoted partner until the end of his life.

I would write a lot more letters if I had a desk like this in my room. I might do very little else.

By far the most interesting room in the inner sanctum is Mr Hearst's private office, above. As he grew older, Mr Hearst spent increasing amounts of time at the ranch, and needed a place to work. He instructed Miss Morgan to build him an office, just a small place where he could get some work done. Miss Morgan knew her client well enough to make the scale match the man. She asked him if it would be okay to raise the ceiling and extend the room. Mr Hearst asked if that was really necessary. She said "Oh yes, I think you'll be very happy." I'm pretty sure he was.

I was pretty chuffed when I checked out a shelf in Mr Hearst's office and found The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland. I'd been somewhat in awe of Mr Hearst until this point. After visiting this room I felt that I rather liked him, even if he did have his own portrait hanging in his office.