The mansion was built to be lived in, not toured. The rooms still feel that way — fireplaces ready to be lit, sofas worn at the arms, a stillness in the late afternoon that belongs to old houses.
What follows is a brief tour of the public rooms, the gardens, and the koi pond. Guests are welcome to wander all of them.
The Great Room.
Cherry-panelled and warmed by a bay of leaded windows on the south side, the great room runs nearly the depth of the house. A working fireplace, a Persian rug worn to a soft glow, and a long sofa where the afternoon light falls until about four o’clock. Guests gather here for coffee in the morning and for sherry, when the season calls for it, in the evening.
The Entry Foyer.
Wood-panelled from floor to crown, with a Persian runner laid end-to-end and a bronze chandelier that has hung in roughly the same place for over a century. The foyer was designed to slow you down — to be the place where, in 1864, your coat was taken and you were shown into the right room. It still does the same work.
The Dining Room.
The dining room is the most ornate of the public spaces. A marble fireplace anchors one wall; above the mantel are three original William Morris & Co. wallpaper panels in the Strawberry Thief pattern, set into the architecture as if framed. The room seats forty around long tables and is the heart of every wedding reception we host.
The Parlor & Library.
The smaller of the two formal rooms, the parlor opens off the foyer and centers on a tile-faced fireplace with a deep oak mantel and oval mirror above. The library, just beyond, holds the family’s books — what’s left of them — and a writing desk by the window that looks out toward the koi pond. Both rooms are quiet places to read or take a small private gathering.
The Conservatory.
Three sides of glass, running across the southern face of the house. Built originally for orchids and citrus trees, it now holds ferns, a long iron settee, and a great deal of light. Breakfast is sometimes served here in warm weather, when the doors to the garden are propped open.
The Walled Garden.
Five acres of grounds, but the walled garden directly behind the house is the heart of it: low boxwood, climbing roses, hydrangea in summer, all enclosed by stone walls and old yews. It is the most-photographed corner of the property and the most-asked-about ceremony spot in the warmer months.
The Koi Pond.
Dating to the early 1900s and roughly twenty-five feet long, the koi pond sits below the south-facing windows of the conservatory. Stone-edged, lily-padded, and home to fish that have outlived several of their owners. By day it catches the light off the windows; by night, lit with lanterns, it is the most affecting place on the property.