Bristol’s Preserved 19th Century Garden Estate In - Blithewold

Blithewold is a 33-acre seaside garden estate that once the summer home of Augustus and Bessie Van Wickle. The property, featuring beautiful gardens, includes a 45-room mansion with sweeping views of Narragansett Bay. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the estate was established in the 1890s with a fortune made in the coal-mining business. The original Queen Anne-style mansion, built in 1895, was destroyed by a slow-moving fire. The current mansion, rebuilt in 1906, incorporates furnishings that were rescued from the fire. It was designed by Walter Kilham in the English Country Manor style.

In 1936, Marjorie Van Wickle Lyon inherited Blithewold and lived there until her death in 1976 at the age of 93. She bequeathed the estate to be opened as a museum, and in 1978, it was opened to the public, preserved as it appeared in 1910. The current grounds, primarily designed by John DeWolf, date from 1896 to 1913.

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