About Richard
As a resident of Austin, TX

Britannia Manor
As a private citizen in Austin, TX, Richard Garriott is most well known for his home, Britannia Manor.  His famed estate holds an eclectic array of amazing architectural features and exotic collections.  Features include an observatory, secret passages, and a dungeon to name a few.  Modeled to resemble the setting of his Ultima games, Britannia Manor has consistently been featured on television programs for its creativity and ingenuity.   

To accompany his home’s unique features, Richard also possesses many collections of rare artifacts.  His collections revolve around his wide variety of interests in space, science, orreries, automata, magic, and natural history.  The artifacts range from 16th century weaponry, mummified objects, century old antique science equipment to objects he has gathered from the various expeditions he has underwent from the depths of the ocean to the cold terrain of Antarctica.  Most recently, Richard’s home was recently showcased on MTV. http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1564231&vid=161267

Aside from Britannia Manor’s unique home design, it also earned a reputation during the early 1990’s as the country’s most elaborate haunted house.  As a devoted aficionado of the tradition of Halloween, for months out of the year, Garriott would transform his home into a haunted house unlike anything that others had ever dreamedof.  Richard allotted thousands of dollars each year towards building and converting Britannia into something that people would love to experience.  It was the most interactive haunted houses in the country, an individual would have to run, jump, crawl, and paddle their way to safety as they underwent quests and adventures throughout his estate.  With each year, talk of his home grew and lines of people would form outside of his home for a chance to enter his haunted house. Britannia Manor soon gained national exposure as word spread and became a Texas institution.  The manor discontinued its role as a haunted house in 1994 with Garriott vowing to create an even better haunted house attraction in the future with the building of his new home.

Philanthropic efforts
In the Austin community, Richard participates in various philanthropies with the earth and performance arts in mind.  He regularly hosts the Austin Shakespeare Festival on his estate with his creation of a Shakespeare’s Globe replica.  Richard has also sponsored haunted trails and hosts a yearly concert and fund raiser on the behalf of the Wild Basin Preserve, has supported the Bat Conservation International group along with the Nature Conservancy.

Magic and boxing
In addition to the arts, Richard shares a great interest in the world of magic.  He is currently a lifetime member in the Society of American Magicians and a participating member in the International Brotherhood of Magicians group.  Garriott recently hosted an event at his home entitled Magic at the Manor in which top magicians from across the world performed for his guests.   Richard is also a boxing fanatic.  Richard is such a fan of the sport that he has even served in a corner man in a match for his professional boxer friend and two time world champion, Jesus Chavez.