Manor

The approach to the wonderful Happy Hill estate is down a long, private road, past stone retaining walls on one side and glimpses on the other of Craigs Mill Run, a tributary of the Brandywine Creek. The driveway of this 8.9-acre Chadds Ford farm offers pastoral views of a stunning English garden landscape replete with Pennsylvania state champion trees including a Yellow Buckeye, Cucumber Magnolia, and a Nordmann Fir. The final approach to the Manor House is past fields, woodlands, and a stone bank barn. Simply idyllic. The stately home, built in several stages in the mid to late 1800s to expand a pre-Revolutionary homestead, features an entry Foyer with a spectacular hand-crafted solid walnut turned staircase that ascends three stories. Off the Foyer is a large Living Room with a museum-quality fireplace mantel flanked by two south-facing windows with stained glass panels above. Many of the home’s windows are impressively large for a home of this vintage and all have pocket shutters. Across the Foyer from the Living Room is the Dining Room, accessed through pocket doors, which also features another museum-quality fireplace mantel. All of the home’s wonderful trim, woodworking, and moldings are crafted from walnut. The rooms on the main level access one of three covered porches. The Study is a gracious room that adjoins the Living Room through a wet bar and accesses two covered porches. The Family Room has a beautifully crafted walnut bookcase next to a fireplace. Off the Family Room is a back staircase to the Upper Level as well as a staircase to the basement. Next is the Kitchen featuring exposed beams and high-end commercial appliances. The second level features two large family bedrooms plus a large Master Suite which encompasses two rooms, one is the large bedroom which occupies the same space as the Living Room below and features handsome custom walnut cabinetry, a fireplace, and large windows. Across the Hallway is a modern Bathroom and a large room which also features custom walnut cabinetry and a fireplace. This particular space could easily become a fabulous large closet or home office. Two additional bedrooms are on this level, each offering large windows with stellar views of the estate’s gardens, fields and woodlands. The main staircase ascends to the third level which houses three additional bedrooms, all with high ceilings and large windows. There is also a spacious attic which could become additional living space if desired. Outside is a large bank barn that needs some attention plus a stone structure that pre-dates the home. This structure and the original part of the house sheltered Hessian soldiers during the nearby Battle of the Brandywine. An in-ground, slate blue pool constructed in 2003 offers quiet swimming, a panorama of the neighboring fields, and a stately perspective of the Manor House. This incredible property, named Happy Hill by a previous owner, is set in an absolutely priceless location! The property is a true “diamond in the rough” as work is required to return this property to its glorious past. Because of its phenomenal location, property assets, the home’s priceless appointments, and the tremendous “great bones” of this fabulous stone home, any investment a buyer makes will be repaid. Located in sought after Chadds Ford and in the heart of Wyeth country, and surrounded by open, protected land, yet close to Rt. 1, Wilmington, and the Philadelphia airport, this property is also in the nationally ranked Unionville-Chadds Ford School District. This is a great opportunity to create an unparalleled country estate, with huge potential upside. This could truly become your “Happy Hill”!