While on our way to the hotel for our trip to Newport, Rhode Island, Teague took me to visit Blithewold, a 45 room Summer "cottage" owned by the Van Wickle McKee family. The name Blithewold is Old English for Happy Wood. The mansion is filled with family heirlooms and is surrounded by 33 acres of gardens and woodland overlooking Narragansett Bay.
If you visit Blithewold, you can enjoy a Cream Tea on the porch overlooking Narragansett Bay.
Estelle Clements room
Coco Chanel frock with sherry glasses
Marjorie Van Wickle Lyon's room. She was the eldest daughter.
Augstine Van Wickle Shaw Toland's room, the youngest daughter
Augustine's toy tea sets
Bessie Van Winkle room, the Lady of the House
China service
on display
in the Butler's Pantry
Looks like coffee is on or maybe water for tea.
Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to find out what the rest of the T Stands For gang is up to. If you want to play, include in your Tuesday post a beverage or container for a beverage. Don't forget to link your blog to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's page.
Wonderful place, I'm glad I don't have to do the dusting!
ReplyDelete😺That was my thought, too
DeleteThe kitchens and the bathrooms always fascinate me the most in these 'cottages'. (I must have been a plumber in a former life! 🤣🤣🤣🤣)
ReplyDeleteBoth need major updates!
DeleteThanks for sharing these enjoyable photos. Rich people really knew how to live back then. I think our current billionaires know also, but have different taste. Anyway they remain secretive as did those 100 years ago in their own time. I do know that Bill Gates owns a huge property next to the Pacific Ocean north of San Diego, but who knows how its furnished or how many other houses he owns.
ReplyDeletebest, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
The same with these people from America's Golden Age. This was just a Summer house.. The had a permanent home established in New York. Maybe Boston. And who knows how many properties they owned.
DeleteOMG, this place looks FABULOUS! I would love to see it in person! :-D
ReplyDeleteCompared to the other Newport "cottages", Blithewold is quite small.
DeleteWow this is truly a wonderful place. Thank you so much for sharing with us. Have a lovely day today.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Enjoy your day as well.
DeleteThe rooms are pretty formal. It not are there a lot of tea cups and plates. I guess when your summer house is that big you must do a lot of entertaining. Happy t day CJ Enjoy this beautiful day!
ReplyDeleteYup, the family did lots of entertaining and things were more formal back in the day
DeleteQuite some (elegant) space there!
ReplyDeleteIndeed
DeleteSuch a lovely "cottage." Not at all a modern definition of a cottage. Loving the butler's pantry and the clothing on display. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHappy tea Day,
Kate
The butler's pantry was awesome.
DeleteI noticed a tea (or possibly coffee) service in each of the bedrooms. Great displays of how people lived back then when they were on "holiday" over the summer. Thanks for sharing these amazing and charming photos with us for T this Tuesday. I especially liked the butler's pantry. I had one in a house I owned once, too, but mine didn't have the formal appearance theirs did.
ReplyDeleteMy living room and kitchen could fit into the butler's pantry 😺
DeleteThanks for sharing the tour. So fun.
ReplyDeleteNice to see how the other half lives
DeleteI could grow used to living like that. If only I had the money ;)
ReplyDeleteI know, right?
Deletethecontemplativecat here. Those cottages must be mighty fine.
ReplyDeleteThey are jaw-dropping
DeleteCream tea on the porch sounds lovely.
ReplyDeleteI wish we had the time.
DeleteBeautiful place. Very cool tea stuff. Love all the pictures, CJ. Happy T-day and hugz
ReplyDelete😊
DeleteWow, what a beautiful place! And that was only their summer residence! I'd love to live in a house like that (and have the servants to go with it)
ReplyDeleteSorry for the late reply. As per usual I don't have time on Tuesday.
A belated happy T-Day,
Lisca
I wouldn't mind living there year round, but would need the staff to go with it. 😺
DeleteWhat a fabulous place this is! I loved seeing all of the china. Belated Happy T Day, Chrisx
ReplyDeletethere were some very beautiful patterns
Delete