18th Century Plantation House on 85 Lovely Acres

Description from the owner

Williamsburg Area, Surry Virginia. Lightwood House is an elegant Eighteenth-Century plantation house nestled in an ancient beech forest in rural Surry County, Virginia. The estate comprises eighty-five acres of woods, fields, and streams, and is part of the land given by Chief Powhatan to Pocahontas and John Rolfe as a wedding gift in 1614. The home of a Revolutionary War soldier and his family, Lightwood House was the center of a prosperous tobacco plantation in the second half of the eighteenth century.

Built in four different periods circa 1760-1795, Lightwood House is completely restored, and features exceptional, detailed woodwork... and authentic furnishings, yet also offers all modern conveniences, including a six-foot jetted tub, satellite TV and WIFI.

While the surroundings are completely rural and secluded, the house is only one-and-a-half miles from the town of Surry, where basic essentials are available, and three-and-a-half miles from the 24 hour, 20 minute, free car ferry to Jamestown and Williamsburg. From the ferry dock on the other side of the James River, Jamestown is one-half mile, and Colonial Williamsburg six miles away.

The house has five bedrooms, two large bathrooms, (one of which features a marble walk-in shower and six-foot whirlpool bathtub), a living room, dining room that seats 10 comfortably, large classical entrance hall, fully equiped kitchen, laundry room, four fireplaces (three with realistic appearing gas logs or stoves), and back porch , for a total of 2400 square feet. Upstairs there are two larger bedrooms, each with a queen-sized canopy bed, a double bed in a smaller room, and two twin beds in an attic room adjoining one of the queen bedrooms. Downstairs there is a small bedroom with a very comfortable double bed.

The house is furnished with antiques from the 17th, 18th and early 19th centuries, along with authentic reproductions. A picket-fenced back yard with period outbuildings, including a smoke house used to smoke the hams for the coronation feast of King Edward the Vll, complete the scene. Two miles of walking trails meander through the woods and fields and offer a close look at local wildlife, which includes deer,turkey,foxes, turtles, hawks, owls, woodpeckers and bald eagles. Lightwood offers a private setting and a truly unique and exciting opportunity to step back to another time, all while enjoying the comforts of the 21st century.Read more

Additional Location Information

The world-class historic museums of Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown are only a short drive and free, 24-hour, 20 minute car ferry away. All three attractions are connected by the beautiful Colonial Parkway, which begins at Jamestown where the ferry docks, follows the James and York rivers, passes through Williamsburg and ends at Yorktown on the Chesapeake Bay. Many important Civil War sites are within an hour's drive, in the Richmond/Petersburg area.
River-front beaches can be found in Surry at Chippokes State Park, at Jamestown on the James River, and Yorktown on the York River leading to the Chesapeake Bay. Virginia Beach itself is a little over an hour's drive away. Williamsburg is also the home of Busch Gardens and Water Country USA theme parks. Surry County attractions include Bacon's Castle; America's finest seventeenth-century manor house, Smith's Fort Plantation, the site of Captain John Smith's fort of 1609 as well as a lovely 1760's brick house, and Chippokes Plantation State Park, with historic buildings, Olympic sized pool, and riverfront beach. Boat rentals are available at the Chickahominy River Park in Williamsburg/James City County.
The historic waterfront town of Smithfield, and seventeenth-century Saint Luke's Church, is a 20 minute drive away. Well-known James River plantations, open to the public, are an easy 45 minute drive, and can be found along route 5, which winds through Charles City County. Richmond is a little over an hour's drive and Washington DC can be reached in around 3 hours, (depending on NOVA/ I95 traffic conditions.

Location Type Away from it all, Rural

What Past Guests Are Saying

• JTravels5
  Birmingham, Alabama

  A wonderful retreat!

  Left on 03/26/2013 for a stay in March 2013
  
  

  We vacationed here with friends earlier this month. There were four adults and six children in our group. We had a terrific stay at Lightwood. The owner was accessible and attentive to our needs and questions. There were special touches throughout the home. There were fresh flowers tucked in various corners and the crock pot was left out after we inquired about it. The house, although very old, was very clean and well appointed. It was charming and inviting. The towels and linens were plentiful and soft and clean. We never ran out of hot water. The kitchen had lots of dishes for our large group. There is even a dining room filled with china for dinner parties. There were lots of empty cupboards for our groceries. The gas fireplaces kept things warm even when we had snow outside!
  
  We loved the history of the home and the many touches that made it so fun for our children. They loved the "secret passage" and the nook over looking the kitchen. We enjoyed snuggling by the fire reading, putting together puzzles, and playing games. The boys had great fun with the toy guns and wooden train tracks. The backyard was lots of fun for the children and we enjoyed the hiking trails.
  
  I will mention the upstairs room got very hot in the evening, so we were thankful to find a window that would open for a light breeze. There were plenty of blankets in the bedrooms so the children were nice and cozy. While this home is close to Williamsburg, our little ones enjoyed riding the car ferry to and from our adventures.
  
  We had the most wonderful time in the home. It is a vacation in itself. We hope to return again when your cute garden is in bloom!

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  Would you recommend this vacation rental to a friend? Yes

  Recommended for: Friends, Groups, Families w children

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