VICTORIA DICKINSON & ASSOCIATES

Description

Steeped in history, the residence at 126 Ridge Road was more than 350 years in the making. The oldest part of the house was built about 1660 as a trading post and retains its original log walls. The latest chapter in the home’s long and storied existence includes solar energy and a charging station for electric vehicles. The property offers nearly two acres of peaceful and private gardens, once part of a land grant from William Penn. Its the 6th oldest encapsulated structure in PA. The serene setting adjoins land that has been preserved by the township. An expansive and ambitious restoration of the house has artfully intertwined the centuries, while adding the comforts and conveniences of modern life. The wood ceiling beams in the cheerful, light-filled living room were salvaged from a barn in nearby Chester County. The fireplace mantel is made from beams rescued from the famed Tatnall & Lea Superfine-grade Flour Mill built in Wilmington in 1740. The vintage mirror above the mantel came from a speakeasy in Chelsea (Manhattan). The kitchen in the main part of the house is open to a casual dining area with wide-plank tongue-in-groove wood flooring. White-washed cypress panels open to reveal a pantry and a coat closet. The primary bedroom features hand-hewn beams circa 1660, Civil War era whitewashed logs and an en-suite bathroom next to a circa 1735 den with wood-burning fireplace and chandelier. With its exposed log walls and a ceiling lofted to two stories revealing the stone interior of the upper level, the den also could serve as a back-in-time dining room. A sunporch is a picturesque work-from-home space with an exterior entrance. A large, well-appointed lower-level apartment with three bedrooms, fully equipped kitchen, two bathrooms, sun porch and covered porch is perfect for multi-generational living, AuPair suite, or in-law suite to enjoy a country setting with easy accessibility to Wilmington, a 15-minute drive to the south, and multiple tourist attractions within 20 minutes. Philadelphia International Airport is a 25-minute drive. Hidden behind the original blue 19th-century siding of the eaves is another bedroom with fireplace, TV, lots of closet space, mini bar, and bathroom with a combo washer/dryer. In all, the house has three laundry rooms. Outdoors, a series of nine interconnected terraces, three with fountains, are shaded by towering poplar and sweet gum trees. A nine-hole mini golf course, designed by a pro for practicing chipping, wends through the property behind deer fencing. The English-style perennial garden is low maintenance and ensures a profusion of flowers from spring through fall. Oversized chess pieces are stationed on an intimate patio that has a removable chess board and is adjacent to one of three garden-tool storage sheds. A secret garden, accessed through a paneled door, offers a place to nap in a hammock and leads to a mediation garden. Dry-stack stone walls create space to park up to 20 cars. An outdoor stage is topped with a living succulent roof. A firepit extends the seasons for entertaining. An extra-large two-car garage provides storage, as well as expanded opportunities for wide-scale entertaining.

Features