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Virginia House Tour

Bob takes a tour of Virginia House. Once an English abbey, this historic home was shipped to Richmond stone by stone in the 1920s.
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Virginia House Tour

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" It actually began its life in England as the Warwick prior centuries ago. The out levels were traveling in London this is back in the 1920s before income taxes. They learned that this property was for sale they bought it they had dismantled. Each stone and carving was numbered. They created the law and that it required seven ships to bring it across the Atlantic and three years to reassemble. Today it's open to the public and inside. Mr. Rogers the curators gonna tell us more about it. And this of course is the great hall."

" Right yes yes."

" And as you know in the early twentieth century a lot of Americans were buying up orientation from abroad. -- their new mansion -- were buying whole rooms wholesaler right yes so how many parts of what we're looking -- here come from though Warrick priority or from some other and to quell the paneling all comes from the prior either primary him what timbers -- car in the staircase the staircase. Was found by an antiques dealer -- adults. And they brought it year by ship from me to the strap work in the finials all the carving is original right all of that carving theories from primary now what do they go to shop for. You know -- of farmers don't like well this was all bought at a surplus armor sale at the tower in 1920s in the 1920s by the -- panels and so this is. Genuine stuff this is the real thing -- This is a three quarters suit of armor. And over here we have a beautiful choir stall from the cathedral of the virgin of Guadalupe -- to our next half. He was general consul in Mexico during the late twenty's so he had a diplomatic career yet."

" He -- and this of course is authentic where the monks would have sat down and."

" When you lifted it up admit that they could stand up and lean against misery or in the back in this beautiful baroque shell carving. Through here we have the withdrawing room ladies and gentlemen what withdraw from the dining room."

" Into this room but -- over door here's pretty fabulous is this."

" Well it almost looks -- porch but I guess it's English right yes this is all Jack -- carving from primary. And that in the withdrawing room ceiling is pretty special yes and at -- at the ceiling you see me rose -- which is the -- that are around Elizabeth the first fabulous tell us about the on the mantelpiece. The mantel pieces what you call married piece a combination. Antique carving and you carving on the arcade where he sees some manly -- Laurie Olsen and car."

" OK but essentially the look is Elizabethan lord Jack Libyan. Sixteenth century yes tutor and story -- Fact this room and then. When we go off in this direction we have a continuation of all of us this raised paneling is it also antique or is it Mary pieces this."

" Is all antique and the carving is again from the primary. And we have this beautiful entrance into into our dining room fabulous window tell me about that. The window and all the glass in Virginia house are all. Part of the primary some of it is old glass and -- that is knew what -- call crown glass some crown glass yes I'll leaded panes and -- the paneling in here again. Would be of the period yes of the period from a house and -- England. I've heard the gardens are quite magnificent they are an especially at this time of year and Scott Burrell are horticulturist -- that's --"

" Now this is a time when you're a lot of themes being put into landscape architecture right. A it's part of what we call American country place when wealthy Americans were cracked kind of creating their own world so they had a real. -- of things through the draw from European well with American. Course this garden here is very much kind of a combination of English tutor and Mediterranean elements. And who was a landscape architect -- Charles -- strolls to left and so tell us what the different rooms -- this -- in front of us looks absolutely. Like courtyard garden it is beautiful -- the fourth season's garden down here and you -- planet with the blue forget me nots. And we have to a and there are mixed biennial border in the product. And across from that we have day perennial garden and then between the two we have this canal or what thing that would call real what connects these two pools and runs. On east west access. Spectacular. You can see the small island them by Japanese Irish plan and there are so. It's it's really -- nice progression of one law currencies very pretty and of course the profusion of break the architecture in the garden reliefs that's enough for me. What's what's just beyond. Well beyond that we have another perennial garden and then we have a rose garden and you can sort of see the box would down -- small Xbox and that's -- A cult of art called green beauties of Corian box that we introduced in -- got a little bit better force in American blocks and then beyond that we have the FT garden. The the roses that are used purity. The pre hybrid tea rose as it and they are almost everything for the -- predates the body in 76 -- when introduction of I repeat payment so we have trying to -- laws that's quite a mix of things and then the final garden room you said as the team garden. The tea garden and then of course that then you go from there to a -- wild for the field then and that's great. Distant view of the wilderness. Spectacular place."

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