WARRENTON
Sponsored by The Warrenton Garden Club
Wednesday, April 22, 10 a.m. to 6
p.m.
Thursday, April 23, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Chairman:
Madeleine de Heller
Hopefield, PO Box 669
Warrenton, VA 20188
Telephone: (540) 347-1543
Email: hopefieldbibi@aol.com
Co-Chairman:
Ingrid H. Lindsay (Mrs. Dale A.)
Henchman=s Lea, PO Box 37
Orlean, Virginia 20128
Telephone: (540) 364-2333
Email: 4Ingrid4@crosslink.net
Advance Tickets:
Susan A. Day (Mrs. Alan L. Jr.)
Fox=s Ford Farm, PO Box 655
Warrenton, VA 20188
Telephone: (540) 937-4683
Email: SDay416389@aol.com
FULL TICKET: $30, days of tour, $25 in advance; single-site admission $15. Children 13 and older, full price; ages 6-12, half-price; ages 5 and under, free of charge. Tickets may be purchased on tour day at any of the houses open for the tour and at The Mosby House, 173 Main St., Warrenton (directions listed below.) Children younger than 17 must be accompanied by an adult. Houses need not be visited in the order listed.
ADVANCE TICKETS: Advance tickets with map and brochure may be purchased at Christine Fox and The Town Duck in Warrenton, or ordered by mail from the Advance Tickets Chairman listed above; cash or check only, please. Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope (business size) with check or money order made payable to The Warrenton Garden Club by April 13. Advance tickets may also be ordered online at www.VAGardenweek.org. No busses can be accommodated on this tour due to narrow roads, but vehicles for 25 passengers or fewer are welcome.
PLEASE NOTE: For your own safety, and as a courtesy to the homeowners, please wear comfortable, flat-heeled shoes. Some walking on uneven ground and unpaved surfaces will be unavoidable. Strollers will not be allowed in the houses. Cameras and video equipment, including camcorders and cell phones, are not permitted inside. No smoking is allowed in the houses or the gardens.
LUNCHEON: Menus from, and directions to, local restaurants will be available at The Mosby House and at all houses on the tour.
DIRECTIONS TO THE TOUR AREA: The Mosby House, 173 Main St., Warrenton (tour headquarters and restroom facilities.) From Richmond: Take I-95 N for approximately 55 mi.; merge onto US-17 N via EXIT 133 toward Warrenton; stay on 17 N for about 28 mi.; merge onto James Madison Hwy/US-17N/US-15 N; after approximately 4.7 mi. turn left onto US-17/US-29; turn right onto Culpeper St. and follow to Main St.; turn right onto Main St. The Mosby House will be on your Left. From Washington Area: Take I-66 W toward Front Royal; take EXIT 43A to get onto US-29 S toward Gainesville/Warrenton for 11.5 mi.; merge onto West Lee Highway/US-211W/US-29 BR.S. toward US-15 Business/Warrenton/Luray; turn left onto Blackwell Rd. (Blackwell Rd. becomes US-211 BR/Alexandria Pike); go left onto Main St. The Mosby House will be on your left.
SPECIAL EVENTS: The Los Tigres Polo Club will have a polo exhibition at 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, and Thursday, April 23, at Hillsborough Farm (directions are listed below). The Warrenton Foxhounds will be shown at 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, and Thursday, April 23, at Elway Hall (directions are listed below.)
YORKSHIRE HOUSE, 405 Winchester St., Warrenton, 20186. From The Mosby House, go west 0.3 mi. on Main St.; turn right onto Alexandria Pike and take an immediate left onto Winchester St.; go 0.4 mi. to St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church on right. Parking and transportation to Yorkshire House will be available at St. John=s. For disabled only: go 0.2 mi. past St. John=s on Winchester St.; Yorkshire House is on the right. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, this handsome, eclectic-transitional brick residence was designed by the extraordinarily talented Swiss architect Henri de Heller. Yorkshire House, surrounded by 10 beautifully landscaped acres, was built in 1939. Its blend of the colonial period with elements taken from Art Deco and Art Moderne styles reflects the architect=s philosophy that there should be no sudden transition from one style to another, but rather a slow evolution preserving the best of the preceding periods while introducing modern innovations. Characteristics of the Modern Movement can be seen in the horizontal emphasis, a curved corner with continuous steel windows, an elliptical bay dining room window with steel casements and a geometric, metal balustrade on the rear balcony. These elements are tempered by the colonial feature of lightly rubbed, red multicolored brick. An outstanding interior feature, epitomizing the compatible merger of Modernism with the Colonial Revival style, is the circular hall with its magnificent stairway.
The present owners, having recently acquired the property from descendants of the original owner, have preserved the architectural integrity of Yorkshire House and are currently restoring four acres of the landscaped grounds. The terraced rear garden features a rectangular fish pond and an abundance of bulbs, viburnum, hydrangea and flowering trees. The owners= love for gardening is also reflected in the house by rare botanical prints, the use of a garden wall fountain as the sink in the powder room and the hand-painted wallpaper in the dining room. Open for the first time for Historic Garden Week by Mr. and Mrs. John J. Norman.
HOPEFIELD,6763 Airlie Rd., Warrenton, 20187. From Yorkshire House, turn right onto Winchester St. Go through stop light (becomes Rte 17 N); go 2.5 mi. and turn right onto Rte 628; go 0.2 mi. and turn right onto Rte 605 (Airlie Rd.); go 1.5 mi. to Hopefield on right. Originally built around 1855, in five-course American-bond brick, as a comparatively modest two-story late Federal-style dwelling, Hopefield, as it is known today, evolved into a finely articulated, elegant Colonial Revival-style residence. In 1924, well-known Washington, D.C. architect Irwin Fleming, a long-time friend of the new owner Col. Robert R. Wallach, raised the gable roof a half story, demolished the back wing, added a 12-foot-deep rear elevation and, along with many other improvements, constructed a two-part, two-story addition to the south side of the main block and a one-story, flat-roofed brick porch at the northern end. The south side addition includes a majestic dining room and an adjoining service wing with an expansive kitchen, maids= hall, pantry and storeroom. A tennis court and swimming pool were added later.
Paneling in the dining and drawing rooms came from Mrs.Wallach=s father=s house in Washington, D.C., and bricks in the garden are from the site of the famed Fauquier White Sulphur Springs Hotel. The house contains paintings of the English and Dutch schools, sculptures by Hunt Deiderich, and Chinese porcelains of the Tang Dynasty. The gardens, which incorporate substantial boxwood plantings, have been recently restored. Hopefield, with its 190 acres, has been placed in a conservation easement. Owners, three generations of the Wallach Family.
ELWAY HALL, 8394 ELWAY Lane, Warrenton, 20186. From Hopefield, turn left out of driveway onto Rte 605; go 1.5 mi. and turn left onto Rte 628; go 0.2 mi. and turn left onto Rte 17; go 2.5 mi. and go straight through stoplight onto Winchester St.; drive 1.1 mi. to end of Winchester St., and turn right and then an immediate right again; take first left onto Ashby St. and go to stop sign; turn left onto W. Lee St. and go to stop sign; turn right onto Culpeper St. and go straight through stop light and continue as the street becomes Springs Rd.; continue on Springs Road 2.3 mi.; turn right off Springs Rd. onto Elway Lane and follow signs to Elway Hall. Built by the 19th century industrialist and U. S. Senator, Johnson Newlon Camden, for his son-in-law and daughter, Gen. and Mrs. Baldwin Day Spilman, Elway Hall stands on 15 rolling, wooded acres. This great Edwardian mansion, completed in 1907, was the largest private residence built in Warrenton up to that time. It remained in the Spilman family for more than 50 years. Constructed of native stone hauled to the site by oxen, its features include walls 30 inches thick, 14-foot ceilings, a grand winding staircase, 16 fireplaces and a 118-foot upper hallway connecting 10 bedrooms.
Furnishings are a Continental blend of antique and contemporary pieces, acquired in France and Italy, with quieter Anglo-American echoes. Trophies from a safari with the Duke of Windsor and a walnut and satinwood French armoire are from the estate of F.W. Woolworth. There are several iron and wire mesh pieces from a furniture collection designed by Barry Dixon. Unfortunately, almost all the foundation plantings had to be replaced during Elway Hall=s rigorous renovation. Although it is still a work in progress, the garden features established copper beech trees, magnolias, pin oaks and walnut trees, which blend amiably with smaller dogwoods, redbuds and hollies across the lawn. As the home of celebrated interior designer Barry Dixon and Michael Schmidt, the residence has been profiled in the media, including Southern Accents, The Washington Post, Virginia Living, Washington Spaces, Beautiful Bedrooms & Baths and on HGTV=s “Homes Across America.” Owners, Mr. Barry Dixon and Mr. Michael Schmidt.
StoneLedge—Warrenton
STONELEDGE, 9055 Harts Mill Rd., Warrenton, 20186. From Elway Hall turn right onto Springs Rd. and go approximately 1.8 mi.; turn right onto Harts Mill Rd.; go 1.3 mi. to StoneLedge Farm on left. This Georgian manor house is a tribute to the extensive historical research undertaken by the owners in order to replicate and expand upon architectural and design styles they considered appropriate for a home in the Virginia countryside. Inspired by Drayton Hall in Charleston, South Carolina, and Gunston Hall in Fairfax County, Virginia, StoneLedge though completed in 2005 feels much older: 150-year-old beams reclaimed from a mid-19th century Pennsylvania inn are found in the kitchen; the plaster mantel and over-mantel in the great hall are based on the designs of 17th century English architect Inigo Jones; extensive plaster details in the great hall and dining room are of the Corinthian order; several wood pieces and reproduction chairs and tables were made by a woodworker who specializes in using 150-250 year-old wood and milk paint; and the ceilings throughout the first floor are 12 feet. Use of scrumptious fabrics and restful colors serves to achieve a casual feeling of elegance while complementing the architectural elements and extensive collection of French and English antiques.
There is a formal English Garden on the east side of the house. The first level is a parterre garden formed by more than 300 English boxwood with bulbs, annuals and perennials throughout. Brick steps lead to an allee of Winter King hawthorne with a seating area at one end. Additional, less formal, gardens are planted with Vinca, American box, Sweetbay magnolia, dogwoods, spirea and Natchez crape myrtle. Thousands of daffodils sweep along the drive and surround the house. Open for the first time for Historic Garden Week. Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Kucharski, owners.
HILLSBOROUGH FARM, 8227 Hillsborough Lane. From StoneLedge turn left out of driveway and go 1.3 mi. to stop sign; turn right onto 211 E.; go 1.3 mi. and turn right onto Holtzclaw Rd. (Rte 681); go 0.4 mi. to Hillsborough Farm on right. This 114-acre farm located just minutes from the heart of Warrenton is home to the Los Tigres Polo Club. The gracious Colonial-style main house, built in 1964 with 200-year-old brick reclaimed from a church in Boston, Massachusetts, is sited on a hill with lovely views of the surrounding countryside. Swimming pool, guesthouse, tenant house, stables, indoor riding arena and polo field all serve to make this property a self-contained environment for its equestrian-oriented owners. Furnishings reflect the owners= devotion to horses and polo, as well as the travels they have taken in pursuit of the sport: The bookshelves in the two-story living room are filled with trophies and other memorabilia from here and abroad; in addition to English hunting prints there are photographs taken by well-known Charlottesville artist Eduardo Galliani; and the corner of the den boasts the only polo sculpture ever done by Remington. Houseguests have also contributed to this central theme by bringing every imaginable tiger-oriented gift from the silly to the serious. One room of particular interest is the English-style pub in the basement. Comfort is emphasized with leather couches, fireplace, bar, temperature-controlled wine closet and refrigerator, and humor is introduced by the old-fashioned, yet workable, popcorn machine.
Landscaping is informal and appropriate to the setting. A view of the polo field is especially visible from a knoll near the house where there will be a demonstration by members of the Los Tigres Polo Team at the times listed with this tour information. Open for the first time for Historic Garden Week. Mr. and Mrs. Alan W. Nash, owners.