Tim Sprinkle

Past Perfect: The Wilton property in Middlesex County

Virginia Living
December 2005

Say the name "Churchill," and most people will immediately think of Winston, the round-faced former British Prime Minister. But the Churchill name also has a rich pedigree in this country. After all, its forebears came to Virginia with some of the first waves of English immigrants, quickly establishing themselves as one of the colony’s leading families.

Of course, in those days, being a prominent Virginia family meant building an impressive plantation home, and the Churchills took full advantage of their status. In 1688, William Churchill bought a piece of property on the south side of the Rappahannock River with plans to build a family homestead. Drawn to the sweeping landscape of what is now Middlesex County on Virginia's Middle Peninsula, William's plantation brought the family a large fortune and eventually grew to include nearly 6,000 acres of land, a sizeable holding by any standard.

According to Louise Gray’s Historic Buildings in Middlesex County: 1650-1875, the Churchill plantation house as it stands today was most likely built by William's son, Armistead, sometime around 1750, several years before the original house was destroyed by fire. Armistead's son, also named William, added a room to the rear of the building after his father's death in 1763 and renamed the plantation Wilton – it had earlier been called both Churchill and Bushy Park – after Wilton House, the Earl of Pembroke's home in southern England. All told, the Wilton property and lands remained in the Churchill family for nearly 150 years.

These days, Wilton sits at the center of a modest, 25-acre plot a few hundred yards from the Piankatank River. And while its wealth and power may have been diminished by the years, there's no questioning the property's enduring air of sophistication. Set back off the road and neatly bordered on three sides by squat boxwood bushes, the house exudes traditional Virginia charm, from the hardwood floors, to the plaster walls, to the plain brick exterior. There are stunning views of the surrounding farm from just about every window, and although the waterfront property was sold off generations ago, the river can still be seen to the southwest.

Wilton was recently purchased by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (APVA), an organization dedicated to saving historic Virginia homes and buildings "that might otherwise have been destroyed." The group hopes to re-sell the property and, in partnership with the new owners, give it a new lease on life as a working 21st century home, historic restoration and all.

The house itself features a story-and-a-half design that was typical in the 18th century, capped with a traditional Dutch roof. Its T-shaped layout makes for a surprisingly roomy interior, complete with four large bedrooms, a pair of living rooms, a dining room, and a kitchen, each with its own fireplace. The front hall overlooks the southern end of the yard and effectively splits the oldest part of the building in two, while the stair hall in the center of the house provides two side entrances and access to the upstairs rooms. It's nothing massive by today's standards, but it certainly must have left an impression on some mid-18th century neighbors.

And, aside from some minor deterioration, the Wilton house remains largely as it was when the Churchill family called it home. Even with all of the historical baggage, it's one of those rare Virginia houses that hasn't been significantly updated or changed in the years since it was built. In fact, just about everything in the house is original – from the un-sanded floors to the dark blue paint to the amazing walnut staircase – making a tour through the house a little like stepping back in time. The walls are laid in precise Flemish bond, the chimneys are all capped with plaster, and the rear of the house is finished with a clipped gable.

But that’s not to say that Wilton is completely rustic. There are at least two wells on the premises with a pair of septic tanks and a drain field, so some modern conveniences are within reach. The buyer would need to choose some bathroom locations, but the basics – water and sewer service - aren’t too far off. The interior wiring is spotty and there's no plumbing to speak of, but the house itself is in amazing condition, especially given its age. The brickwork on the exterior is still solid and the original woodwork inside looks good, although noticeably worn by the years. There is also a small log cabin near the house that's been fitted with siding and an old external kitchen building. At its best, the property could probably be considered an 18th century version of a project home.

But calling a house like Wilton a fixer-upper is a bit of an understatement. Although it is structurally sound, there are some serious issues that would need to be addressed before anyone could take up residence. Much of the plaster has cracked with age, exposing bare walls in some places, and there are a few soft spots in the floorboards. And, like every structure that the APVA sells, there's always the history to consider. The house is protected by a series of easements – building limitations designed to preserve the historic character of the property – that effectively give the APVA and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources veto power over any major changes that future owners might want to make. Thinking about cleaning up a banister or re-pointing some exterior mortar? No problem. Want to sand down the woodwork and add a garage? Think again.

These limitations can be a little off-putting, but for the right person, the opportunity to live in a house like Wilton is worth the extra cost and effort that go into a historical restoration.

Gordon Lohr, director of the APVA's Historic Property Revolving Fund and manager of the Wilton site, says that it all comes down to the unique nature of the house. “I think purists really like this kind of house," he says, "people who love historic houses and know something about them."

Still, Lohr is careful to tell potential buyers that there's a lot to consider when investing in a house for restoration. First, and most importantly, is the cost. Restoration expert will need to be brought on board – this isn't a job for the home handyman – and it's not unusual for costs to spiral up into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. All of the work must live up to APVA standards, too, so high quality, with a focus on historical accuracy, must be the rule throughout. And, clearly, a historic home like Wilton isn't for someone who's looking for the latest and greatest.

“For a lot of people it’s not enough," Lohr says of the house's modest scale. "They want 10,000 gables and a garage in front and all that stuff, and you just won't get that here. The uninitiated isn’t going to take on a project like this. It takes a lot of your time. You can’t just turn this over to some contractor."