For today’s historic property expedition, we’ll be heading to Gloucester, MA. Here, nestled in the woods south of the city proper, is a sprawling Tudor mansion called Stillington Hall, whose grandiose size and medieval proportions bring a bit of the English countryside to the East Coast.
The timbered estate was built in 1926 by Leslie and Mary Buswell, a pair of enthusiastic thespians whose home played host to performances by Helen Hayes and the Barrymores. These vaulted halls are also rumored to have hosted President Franklin Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor. Buswell, himself, received a bit of notoriety during the First World War when, as a young ambulance driver, his letters to home were published as a recurring newspaper column, offering the folks back home a shocking glimpse onto the frontlines of the Great War. But despite their notable inhabitants, and though the great beamed halls and wood-paneled retiring rooms were beautiful, a home begins to show signs of age over the course of a near-century, and Stillington Hall slowly fell into disrepair and abandonment over the years.
Until three years ago, that is. That was when designer John Cottrell purchased the fading manse. The ensuing restoration saw the house put to rights again, with great respect paid to historical intents. The homes original blown and spun bottle-glass windows remain intact, as do the wide-plank pine floors, wood-paneled walls, and gigantic cook-in fireplaces. Eight bedrooms and eight baths boast ten fireplaces among them, while the homes former theater and stage have been converted into a two-tier living room, albeit with an imprint of its limelight-seeking former self.
The property’s 24 acres were cleaned up and tended, as well. Now, the views out to Gloucester Harbor are crystal clear, as is the nearby Buswell Pond, which falls within the property lines. A bell tower keeps time above landscaped gardens, and a two-bedroom guest house provides extra room. After a long hibernation and a thorough cleaning, Stillington Hall is shining brighter than ever, and is priced to sell at $3.6 million.
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