Virginia House

Virginia House is a country house and museum in Richmond ( Virginia) overlooking the James River ( Virginia).

The house is the free reconstruction of a former British convent building of the 16th century, which was founded in 1925 -1929 removed and re-erected in the United States. Builders were Alexander and Virginia Weddell. Alexander W. Weddell was a career diplomat, and, among others, the U.S. Ambassador in Argentina and Spain, but also an avid local historian and esthete. The funds came from his wife, a very wealthy widow. The couple decorated the house with many antiques. Today it is the seat of the Virginia Historical Society, the Alexander Weddell board as president since 1943 and is run as a museum.

History

From the mid-19th century, the building was once called the Warwick Priory, owned by a banking family, who wanted to leave it on 23 September 1925 in auction items as " Demoliton sale". Succeeded, however, the Weddells to acquire the entire object. This led to protests in the British public, there was talk of an act of vandalism. Nevertheless, the individual parts of the house, and even entire losgesprengte Wändteile were shipped to the USA. It was from the outset the intention of the owner to dedicate her house the Virginia Historical Society. Construction began in November 1925, the transfer to the Weddells took place in 1929. The Weddells inhabited her home until her death in a railway accident on January 1, 1948. On June 13, 1990 Virginia House was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Virginia House is not an exact reconstruction. The west wing is based on the example of Sulgrave Manor in Northamptonshire, also Spanish influences are detectable. Architect of the ensemble was Henry Grant Morse. Adjacent is Agecroft Hall.