It’s been a while since I’ve added any news, but the truth is I hunkered down through the winter months and got a fair amount of writing and painting done. I knew I would have more to say once the wild daffodils sprang up by the old well on our property. I waited and watched for them. The plan was to take a picture and post it. Just one. That idea, however, got trumped by all the flowers I photographed today on the Warrenton Historic Garden Tour. This tour is part of the larger Garden Club of Virginia Historic Garden Week. All I had to do was drive down our 1.5 mile gravel road and the beautiful homes on the tour were all within a mile or less as the crow flies. The event was very well organized with plenty of docents (some friends I hadn’t seen all winter!) who were well informed regarding the details of every room in each house.
The Warrenton Historic Garden Tour was held yesterday and today, with yesterday’s attendance estimates at around 700, and today’s rumored to be higher. That’s a lot of traffic for our two-lane country road! But visitors came from far afield to see the lovely homes that were on the roster. They included The Oaks, Whiffletree Farm, Elway Hall, Marshfield, Springlea, and Leeton Forest. The homes were unique and distinctive, but all shared stunning arrangements of spring flowers ranging from simple vases on nightstands to large sprays bursting with color in every room. No two arrangements were alike, but I believe they were provided by the Warrenton Garden Club.
Unfortunately, photographs were not permitted inside the homes, but I can tell you they were beautifully appointed. The Oaks, a Classical Revival home originally built in the 1930’s, partially burned a few years ago, but has been lovingly restored. The restoration of the Oaks is well-documented in an article that appeared in the Piedmont Virginian. The house contains several generations’ worth of fabulous 18th and 19th century mahogany, cherry, and inlaid custom-built furnishings. The art collections are noteworthy, as well, including many portraits by French artist Yves Muller D’Escars who, per one of the docents, was said to have painted twenty-five canvases for the family starting in 1927. (I can’t imagine he would have completed that many in one year!) The dining room was particularly vivid, decorated with Zuber wallpaper depicting hunt scenes; fowl hunting occupied the short ends of the room, while the length showed stag, fox, and boar hunting scenes.
Elway, a sprawling Edwardian home originally built for the Spilman family perhaps a quarter of a mile down the road was, by contrast, quite different. The owner, Barry Dixon, a renowed interior designer has a unique style that inspires many. For all the lovely mix of modern and classical furnishings, I admired his extensive book collection, kitchen and butler’s pantry the most. The kitchen floors (yes, the first thing I check out, though I would want no one to look too closely at mine) were large imported tiles from France, according to the docent, and poured concrete counters designed to complement the extensive collection of his grandmother’s china, again, according to the kind docent. The home also boasts an extensive collection of classical statuary, orbs of all types, and many charcoal drawings reminiscent of the old masters. These were only some of the things I noticed while trying to take it all in.
We paused on the front lawn to watch a special demonstration of the Ashland Basset Hounds before heading over to Marshfield across the road. The original 19th century Marshfield house had also burned but was rebuilt into a brick rambler with many windows, all of which have beautiful garden views. Just a couple of weeks into spring, the gardens are already in full bloom, including those that surround the barn. It was easy to get lost meandering through them, so it proved helpful having the maps provided at the entrance.
Leeton Forest was beautiful in its quiet formality, a Federal house reconstructed in 1928 after the original summer home of Attorney General Charles Lee, who served under both Presidents Washington and Adams, burned in 1890. Surrounding the house are beautiful gardens with winding paths and expansive views in all directions that include the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Springlea, just a short walk from Leeton Forest, was recently reconstructed from pieces of other historic Virginia houses that were kept in storage, including a log cabin. The owners have painstakingly reconstructed every original detail, including matching paint from boards found underneath a set of stairs. Most fascinating, however, were the original framed documents of the late 18th century land grants bequeathed to the land owners. Even though I wrote about land grants in House Key, I had not seen an original one until today.
The Warrenton Historic Garden Tour was an inspiring way to welcome spring. If you didn’t get a chance to experience the tour for yourself, I hope you enjoy the pictures from today and will consider visiting for next year’s tour.
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