Imagine having a really big collection of your favorite things and displaying them all
in one spot, what that look like?
Maybe you would have a special shelf, or perhaps an entire room devoted to your collection.
Now, imagine you collect really large objects, let’s say, English Manor Houses.
How would you display a collection mansions all in one place?
Hi everyone, Ken here, . Today we are exploring the Virginia House,
a collection of disassembled and reassembled English Manor Houses.
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When Alexander Weddell began courting Virginia Chase Steedman, the two quickly realized their
potential to become a power couple.
They shared a passion for history and historic
preservation.
In 1923, they tied the knot and set out to create and curate a cultural legacy together.
Naturally, for a newly wed couple, they wanted to start their lives together by purchasing
their first home.
But not just any home would do.
It had to be ripe with history and aged with the stories of generations past.
That’s when they caught wind of an English Manor known as “Hawk’s Nest” going up
for sale.
Hawk’s Nest had been constructed in Warwick, England following the dismantling of a monastery
in 1536.
The estate had entertained notable royals such as Queen Elizabeth I, and had played
host to Queen Anne’s Royal Gardener.
This was exactly the type of house the Weddells were looking for, but it was in the wrong
country.
They wanted to live in the US state of Virginia where they had both been raised.
They decided to purchase Hawk’s Nest with the intent of dismantling it and reassembling
it state-side.
This caused cultural backlash as members of British Parliament attempted to invalidate
the sale of the home calling it an “act of vandalism” against UK’s heritage.
The Weddells explained that they intended to rebuild the manor and preserve it for future
generations in the United States.
Enough members of Parliament were convinced by their argument and the sale of the manor
was allowed to go through.
As the process of dismantling the house began, it was found to be lacking in structural integrity,
making it hazardous to disassemble.
Using carefully calculated measures, an explosive was placed in the house with the hopes that
it would knock the large stone walls loose, making it safer to continue disassembling
the manor.
To everyone’s surprise, many of the walls detached from the stone structure completely
intact which made the entire process of disassembling and reassembling much easier.
The following year, in 1926, the pieces of the manor were driven to ports and shipped
to Virginia.
Then the Weddells’ plans changed.
They hired architect Henry Grant Morse to gather architectural salvage and entire rooms
from other English Manor Houses and ship them back to the United States.
The architect was to blend the various manor houses together to create a cohesive design
for a new home built from old parts.
The resulting structure became Tudorbethan in appearance with elaborate strapwork in
its upper gables.
The mansion’s distinct bodies from various manors were joined with a port cochere marked
by a tower with parapet walls.
As you traveled around the house, winding through it’s gardens, you would be met with
the faces of reconfigured English Manor Houses Some of the facades were simpler with clean
cuts of stone and limestone lintels at the windows, while other faces were decorated
with elaborate balustrade, gothic tracery, and stone relief work half a millennia old.
The elaborate gardens, designed by landscape architect Charles Gillette took over 20 years
to complete and, at their prime, boasted over 1,000 individual species of plants curated
from around the world.
Dotted throughout the landscape, offering vista views, sculptures and fountains could
be found in both the formal and informal gardens, with every path leading a cultural artifact
with its own story rich in historical merit.
Entering the home you would arrive in the Great Hall.
The Weddells finished out the room architectural salvage sold to them by famed gilded age antique
dealer, Charles Duveen.
The 12th century oak wall paneling was salvaged from the Warwick Priory and the grand staircase
was reassembled from a 17th century English manor house.
As we begin making our way deeper into the house, we will notice portraits of prominent
American figures displayed on the walls.
When the Weddells set out to build their mansion, they envisioned one day deeding the property
to the Virginia Historical Society to be used as its headquarters and as a history museum.
With this in mind, it was important to have grand rooms which could accommodate future
generations of museum visitors.
The Withdrawing Room, as it was called, was finished out with 16th century wood paneling
below an elaborate ceiling boasting both a rose en soleil and fleur de lis patterns.
The Dining Room became a mix of old and new as leather chairs were reproduced in a style
typical of the 16th century.
On the wall, a massive tapestry depicts a hunt, which was common theme to display in
the dining rooms of the time.
No surface in the mansion was left unadorned as even the most common items, such as radiators,
were graced with an artistic flair.
Upstairs we will find the Library with overflowing built in book shelves below rising below a
steeply pitched ceiling.
The library quickly became the heart of the Weddells’ home as they were known to entertain
and read books.
Mr Weddell spent a large portion of his time writing and editing history books and organizing
historical documents and prints to preserve Virginia’s history through publications.
The curation of history in the house seemed to have no end as the Weddells decided to
replicate George Washington’s Ancestral home, Sulgrave Manor, by the incorporation
of the Sulgrave Bedroom.
In 1943, Mr Weddell’s dedication to historical preservation earned him title of President
of the Virginia Historical Society.
He and his wife hosted large meetings for the society in their home as they spearheaded
efforts to accumulate as many historical documents as possible to paint a full picture of the
state’s rich history.
Unfortunately, the Weddells time was cut short.
As they were traveling cross country, their train derailed in Missouri and they both lost
their lives.
Just as they had intended, the house was willed to the Virginia Historical Society which continues
to keep it open to the public as the Virginia House
Which room was your favorite?
Let me know down below in the comments section.
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