One of my favorite gardens in Virginia is at Chatham Manor in Fredericksburg on the banks of the Rappahannock River. The manor house and grounds are owned by the US Park Service, and visitors are free to wander the beautiful gardens, which include verdant walks under tumbling rose trellises, water fountains and elegant statues.
I usually go in May every year, because that is when the roses are blooming, and these are some photos I took in May of this year. I haven't gotten around to posting them but they are just so pretty I thought it would be a shame not to give them some attention.
Chatham Manor was constructed in 1771 as part of a vast estate once owned by William Fitzhugh.
I recently read "The History of Henry Esmond" by William Makepeace Thackeray,
and wondered if the Esmond family in this book (who are also portrayed in "The Virginians") may have been based on the Fitzhugh family. The Esmonds were described to have a large estate on the Rappahannock River at the time of the Revolutionary War.
All of my visits to Chatham Manor end with about a thousand photographs, so I think I will just post a selection and let the gardens speak for themselves.
I hope you enjoyed the visit to Chatham Manor, I am working on a new Regency dress and will be showing some behind the scenes photos of construction of the dress very soon.
