Carolyn's Blog

Between 1851 and 1854, Quaker merchant Joseph Shipley built this Gothic Revival mansion to reflect the beauty of an English country estate. Indeed, Rockwood is a magnificent site, once having a view of the Delaware River in the distance.  Today, Rockwood Mansion, a part of Rockwood Park, is owned and operated by New Castle County, with the help of the Friends of Rockwood.  The mansion was given to the County by descendants of Shipley, but the furniture had to be purchased by the Friends from the family, piece by piece, creating the beautiful setting you see today.

The Rockwood Park entrance is located just south of Shipley Road on the Washington Street Extension  just north of the city of  Wilmington, Delaware.

A recent Christmas party for the Friends of Rockwood saw the house decorated by the Friends and in fine holiday style. One of the unusual survivals is the original Victorian conservatory, seen below. Fund raising is currently under way to restore this gem.

One of the fun things is to see the original furniture and clothes laid out on the beds and in the wardrobe. I especially loved the cushy clothes hangers.

If you wish to visit the mansion, there are guided tours on the hour Wednesday - Sunday. 
10:00 am - 3:00 pm. You can call for tour and group tour information at (302) 761- 4340.

The Dining Room is set up for a Christmas feast, so come on down and visit (just don't try and eat any of the faux food!).  Banquet facilities are available in the renovated carriage house at Rockwood Park.  There was a wedding party there the night we were at the house.  Looked like a fun place!

The Delaware Art Museum Holiday House Tour was held December 12, and it proved to be a mix of art centered homes, artists' studios and homes decorated for Christmas.

I had a great time talking to Rick  Rothrock, who sculpts in stone and whose home is a virtual gallery of his work. Then we visited the home of The Memegers and were wowed by his studio with its sunny glass-enclosed walls and the poured in place concrete table that stretched across this former basement.

An artcentric home, below, in Brandywine Falls overlooking the river featured an art collection, some pieces having been made by the Golinkoff/Ballens' son. They so liked the dining room furniture that they invested in the company that made it. The Christmas spirit was much in evidence in the beautiful Westover Hills home of the Trezise family with its formal decor.

Above is the Christmas tree, walnut panelled den, and exterior of the 1932 home of the Trezise family in Westover Hills, just outside the city limits of Wilmington.

The prize for the most holiday spirit goes to the Dawson family, north of Hockessin. It featured Mr. Dawson's vintage cars including 1962 and 1976 Cadillacs. The living room is decorated with Victorian accents, and is proudly shown by Mr. Dawson in his Christmas  "zoot suit."

The dining room table at the Dawsons features Spode Christmas china, and the whimsical tree is decorated with angels and butterflies. Come to think of it, the entire home and its owner could be classified as whimsical!  Not pictured are the bistro in the basement complete with dance floor, bar, and musical mementos from Mr. Dawson's musical career.  Plus, it featured the Newark Presbyterian Church Bell Choir playing Christmas music the day of the Delaware Art Museum Holiday House tour, an annual fund-raising event for the Wilmington museum. The museum lobby is seen below the day of the tour with musicians playing on the balcony in front of the glass installation pice by Dale Chihuly.

HISTORIC HOME STYLES  CHAPTER 1-GEORGIAN

 Although there are earlier styles in the United States, they are more of the vernacular or local folk styles such as Spanish Colonial, English Medieval, Swedish log cabins, and Prairie lean-to huts. 

It's not until we get to the Georgian style (1700-1780) that a more formalized aesthetic begins to take place.

Brought to this country by architectural building or pattern books, these manuals ranged from the sophisticated styles of Inigo Jones (1573-1652) and Christopher Wren (1632-1723) to inexpensive carpenters' handbooks showing in simple terms and drawings how to construct fashionable doors, windows, cornices, and mantels. Below is Tomahawk Manor, late 1700's, in Central Delaware, exhibiting the popular Georgian style of the time in a rural location. Note the Georgian configuration and the sophisticated raised paneling on the fireplace wall.

As  I have traveled the East Coast of the U.S., I have seen versions of these sophisticated styles, but with local variations. Even the most modest farmhouses usually managed columns or pilasters on either side of a fireplace mantel.  Indeed, we can still see this being replicated in modern construction (although it may be made of a plastic or composition material, since millwork craftsmen of high caliber are in short supply.)

 Two examples of mantels show, first, the less sophisticated (but knowlegeable) country style at the Corbit House, c. 1770 outside Odessa, Delaware, followed by the highly sophisticated carved stone mantel in the Physick House, c. 1786, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Both have reeded pilasters on either side, but there is a great deal more skill involved in the latter, since it is more elaborate, and of stone.

 Of course, even the sophisticated designers in London copied--but from the Greeks, who were the true originals!