Some ideas changed over the course of those two years, like adding on the conservatory, a gazebo and a little girl's room. Some of my decorating ideas went by the wayside . . . like those grandiose visions of elaborate Victorian ceilings. But all in all, I'm very pleased with how the manor is coming together and I can see an end in sight. Of the manor itself that is . . . there is still the basement to be completed which will likely take another two or more years.
Despite the time it has taken, I have enjoyed (mostly) every aspect of building the manor from the Beacon Hill dollhouse kit. I've bashed it into submission in what I hope is a glorious manor befitting the Victorian/Edwardian ages.
And now my head is being filled with the story of the manor and its' current inhabitants, the Pennethornes. First will come the location, the time when it was built and other such details. The life stories of all who call Pennethorne Manor home will come in a later post.
The manor is built in the Second Empire and Italiante styles and sits on a large estate in Pennsylvania along the Delaware River. (My criteria for choosing the location was based on 1. it had to have a river front view and 2. it had to be near a small town and close to larger cities - in this case New Hope sits between New York and Philadelphia.)
Although the manor was originally built in 1867 by the wealthy Gray family, it had many luxuries including indoor plumbing (which was only affordable to the rich arriving in 1840). Electricity was installed in 1890. Over the years additions or changes were made to the original manor as they came into fashion.
The Pennethorne Estate (formerly the Gray Estate) comprises the manor itself, stables, outbuildings, supporting farmland, a fishing pond, and woods that surround the gardens and manor grounds.
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| This is what the estate looks like in my mind's eye. |
What a wonderful storyline and a great guide to help you with the furnishings, building and landscaping! Enjoy every challenge and successful thrill for however long it takes to complete!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jodi! We miniaturists are nothing if not persistent! LOL!
DeleteI absolutely have to have a narrative and characters and a frozen moment in time to do my projects. Without that framework I would just waffle around and chop and change this and that. Yours is a delight and will work wonders.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! Yes, I always have to have a doll (or 5 or 6!) so that I know who I'm building and decorating for. It adds so much more depth to the project I always think. It's my way of living in a bygone era. However, I suspect I would have been a scullery maid and not the lady of the manor. LOL!
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