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When you envision a glorious English-style country manor, your mind probably races to …. dozens of fine PBS series! Or maybe Jane Austen. Or for those of you less literarily inclined: the Wayne Manor! You know the home’s archetype: The smell of pipe smoke fills the library, dainty sandwiches are consumed every afternoon with tea in a gracious living room, and wealth is apparent but not buried under gaudy ornamentation. (Let’s forget about the secret entrance to the Bat Cave.)
Having always been an Anglophile, I know what manor means. I even embarked on a project to build my own English country manor—about one-tenth of the size of Highclere Castle (aka Downton Abbey itself)—and I traveled to England to tour grand old country houses and look at all the details up close.
Once I had crossed the Atlantic, I learned that there’s no single type of English country manor. The homes are a hodgepodge of every style fashionable during their centuries-long history: Tudor, Jacobean, Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian. Which makes sense—each generation put its mark on the idea, redecorating and renovating according to the style of the day.
As proof of how British influence has migrated across the Atlantic, take a look at these five massive piles currently for sale around the United States. All of them owe a debt to the English country manor, but each offers its own twist on design elements both inside and out.
If you’ve dreamed of a posh country lifestyle, but want to avoid the whole passport hassle, we’ve uncovered a few landing spots for the Anglophile in your life…
628 Warren Glen Rd, Greenwich Township, NJPrice: $2.995 million
Country cred: Many residents in this tony suburb are princes of Wall Street, so it’s no wonder some live in country manors. This Greenwich equestrian complex is set on 106 rolling acres, with a barn, paddocks, and jumping trails to get you ready for fox hunts. The front view includes an arched stone entryway and diamond-pane windows.
But the land is the star of this listing, with gorgeous views of the old-growth trees that surround the property.
Greenwich Township, NJ
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31 Bush Ave Greenwich, CTPrice: $5.85 million
Country cred: This half-timbered, six-bedroom manor in historic Belle Haven is located on a scenic peninsula on the Long Island Sound. Its entry is graced by elegant ceiling molding and chair rails. A “reception room,” a combination study/family room, is wood-paneled and presided over by a fabulous tracery ceiling—a distinctive touch.
We love the ceilings so much that we’ll forgive the house’s white kitchen with sea-green granite, which would never show up in a true English country manor. You get a pass!
Greenwich, CT
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4 Rye Cliff Rd, Oakland, NJPrice: $5 million
Country cred: This manor is like a time machine. It overlooks 4,200 acres of undeveloped forest; but it’s only 20 miles from New York City, so you can see the Manhattan skyline as well.
The 1924 English country manor features a slate roof, hand-hewn chestnut beams, and five fireplaces. It sits on 10 acres that include a 40-foot deep, spring-fed pond with dock and diving rock.
But our favorite part of the property is a five-story stone observation tower that could serve as a fabulous guesthouse or an artist or writer’s studio. There are also a cottage, farm buildings, garages, and a tennis court.
Oakland, NJ
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5785 Stony Point Rd, Barboursville, VAPrice: $6.9 million
Country cred: This English country manor sports stained wood beams and posts, a two-story stone fireplace, and heart pine floors. The pine-paneled study has a granite surround and walls of built-in bookcases that scream for leather-bound copies of the classics. Two ponds rest amid rolling lawns that we hope are filled with trout that will jump at an angler’s dry fly.
Barboursville, VA
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19 Lacewood Ln, Piney Point Village, TXPrice: $4.895 million
Country cred: This 10,000-square-foot Texas house was inspired by country manors in Bath, the place to be in Jane Austen’s Regency heyday. The dark stains on floors and cabinetry add a Gothic touch, reinforced by wrought-iron light fixtures and dark window trim. The entryway features tumbled limestone floors, common in historic houses.
Piney Point Village, TX
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The post Get the Door, Jeeves: 5 Elegant English-Style Country Manors appeared first on Real Estate News and Advice - realtor.com.
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