Windsor Castle (Smithfield, Virginia)

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Windsor Castle Farm
Windsor castle smithfield manor house 4.jpg
Back of the manor house
Windsor Castle (Smithfield, Virginia) is located in Virginia
Windsor Castle (Smithfield, Virginia)
Nearest city Smithfield, Virginia
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Area 158.3 acres (64.1 ha)
Built 1750 (1750)
Architectural style Greek Revival
NRHP Reference # 00000897[1]
VLR # 300-5033
Significant dates
Added to NRHP August 2, 2000
Designated VLR June 14, 2000[2]

Windsor Castle is a former plantation and now a public park in Smithfield, Virginia, United States. It is located in the Smithfield Historic District.

History

The plantation dates to a land grant of 1,450 acres (590 ha) by the King of England to Arthur Smith in 1637. Arthur Smith’s great grandson, Arthur Smith IV, established the town of Smithfield in 1750. The first recorded use of the name “Windsor Castle” dates from 1884.[3]

In 2005, real estate developer Lewis McMurran obtained an option to purchase Windsor Castle for $2.2 million. The agreement included a historic easement around the manor house. McMurran proposed to build a 445-unit “New Urbanism” development on the property outside the historic easement. The proposal was withdrawn amidst strong opposition from town residents.

In 2007, Joseph W. Luter III donated $5 million to the town for the purchase and development of Windsor Castle as a park. Lewis McMurran then executed his option to purchase the property. The town council voted to pursue the use of eminent domain to obtain the property. In 2009, an out-of-court agreement was negotiated for the town to purchase the property outside the historic easement for $3.8 million and for McMurran to donate to the town the property within the historic easement.

The manor house and surrounding 208 acres (84 ha) were dedicated as a public park in 2010.[4] The 46 acres (190,000 m2) immediately surrounding the manor house are protected by a historic easement controlled by the state of Virginia. The park was formally opened during a ceremony officiated by the Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell on May 22, 2010. The park features hiking trails, a dog park, a mountain bike trail, a fishing pier, and a canoe launch. The manor house overlooks the junction of Cypress Creek and the Pagan River. The King of All Places manor house (circa 1806) can be seen across Cypress Creek from the Windsor Castle property.

On April 2, 2013, it was reported in the Virginian-Pilot that the Smithfield Town Council has leased five acres at Windsor Castle Park to Smithfield Winery LLC to establish a vineyard for a small-production winery.[5]

Gallery

  • Windsor castle smithfield manor house 3.jpg

    Manor house and kitchen

  • Windsor castle smithfield manor house 1.JPG

    Front of manor house from across field

  • Windsor castle smithfield manor house 2.jpg

    Front porch of manor house

  • Windsor castle smithfield manor house kitchen 1.jpg

    Kitchen

  • Windsor castle smithfield kitchen interior.JPG

    Cooking hearth inside kitchen

  • Windsor castle smithfield view from front porch.jpg

    View from front porch toward Smithfield Station and junction of Cypress Creek and Pagan River

  • King of all places manor house smithfield.jpg

    King of All Places manor house on opposite shore of Cypress Creek

  • Windsor castle smithfield mason street entrance.jpg

    South Mason Street park entrance

  • Windsor castle smithfield mason street entrance bridge.jpg

    Bridge from South Mason Street park entrance

  • Windsor castle smithfield trail to marsh overlook.jpg

    Trail to Cypress Creek marsh overlook

  • Windsor castle smithfield marsh overlook upstream.jpg

    View across Cypress Creek from the marsh overlook looking toward the King of All Places manor house

  • Windsor castle smithfield canoe launch.jpg

    Canoe launch on Cypress Creek

  • Windsor castle smithfield cypress creek overlook.jpg

    Bench along Cypress Creek

  • Windsor castle smithfield fishing pier.jpg

    Fishing pier on Cypress Creek

  • Windsor castle smithfield goodwin whitehead graves.jpg

    Goodwin and Whitehead gravestones

  • Windsor castle smithfield overlook south church bridge.jpg

    Bench overlooking South Church Street bridge

  • Windsor castle smithfield bridge to smithfield station.jpg

    Bridge to Smithfield Station

  • Z0420131722a.jpg

    The vineyard at Windsor Castle Park

  • Windsor Castle, Smithfield, Isle of Wight County, Virginia by Frances Benjamin Johnston.jpg

    Windsor Castle by Frances Benjamin Johnston, 1935.

References

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Further reading

  • Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County, Virginia, by John Bennett Boddie, Heritage Books, 1993.

External links

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. and Accompanying photo
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Grapes may soon grow at Windsor park in Smithfield | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com
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