Growing up in suburban America, my idea of what constitutes
a mansion was formed mainly by the Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Dallas. Big,
airy houses with fluted, two-story pillars framing fancy double doors. They had
vaulted ceilings and pools out back and extra room for a long suffering servant
or two.
That’s not to say that I didn’t know about castles and manor
houses in lands far, far away, but my brain simply couldn’t imagine the true
scale of these places. Corridors
so long and winding one could become lost? Preposterous. Wings so far apart
that you could have a ball in one wing and sleep soundly in the other? Crazy
talk. I honestly couldn’t picture
these things when reading my beloved historical romances, set in the sprawling
country homes and massive townhouses of England.
But a few years ago, I got my first glimpse of just such a
home when my mom and I decided to visit the Biltmore House in Asheville North
Carolina. And my, oh my, did it
open my eyes! The scale? Beyond massive. The house and furnishings? Spectacular
does not begin to describe it. Walls covered in hand tooled leather? Check. A
dining hall with its own pipe organ? Check. A huge, ten-foot deep indoor pool?
Check. Servant’s quarters large enough to house thirty-five permanent servants
and another thirty visiting servants? Check.
In a word? Magical :) Visiting America’s largest private
home is an event, one that I hope you have the chance to participate in some
day. This time around, I got to
enjoy a day with my friend, critique partner, and fellow Regency writer
Catherine Gayle. It was her first
time there, which made it doubly fun for me. We were there for almost six hours, and I swear we only sat
down once, and that was for lunch (in the refurbished stables, mind you!). The rest of the time we were walking, walking, walking—and even then, we only saw the public parts of the house!
This trip was a total blast, and I am feeling all kinds of inspired. I think, perhaps, my heroine may get lost on the way back to her room on a dark and stormy night... ;)
For a little treat, here are some of the pictures I took
while on our trip. Oh, and the best part? Totally a tax write off! Gotta love
research, baby!
So tell me - have you been to the Biltmore? Or any other truly massive old home? If not, where would you like to visit?
I can't wait to visit there with you some day! Sounds so much like Hearst Castle which is by far the most description-defying place I've ever been. And it was designed by a female architect which I love:) Hope I can take you there some day...you will love it! He flew in whole ceilings from cathedrals in Italy and Spain and Scotland and doors from castles around the world. It feels like a piece of old Europe on a cliffside overlooking the beautiful Pacific ocean...spectacular. Looks like you girls had terrific weather on your trip, such pretty pictures.
ReplyDeleteWe were there a few years back... go back in the summer and wander in the gardens & garden shop... did you go to the winery? We had a package with a hotel that got us discounted tickets. So worth going to see.. Now it's decorated for Christmas! You didn't mention if you did the 'behind the scenes tour' that takes you in the servant areas... Equally interesting.
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