On Thursday, March 13th the
Merry Weather Garden Club joined the Talisman Garden Club in LaGrange to tour
Bisham Manor. The Talisman club had
joined the Meriwether club last fall and found the camaraderie of the tandem
meeting lots of fun.
The clubs toured Bisham Manor, the home
of Neil and Trish Liechty that they purchased at auction last fall. The home was built by Peck Brumby on property
that had been in the Young family since 1868. In 1974, the US Army Corps of
Engineers took the property for West Point Dam’s resulting development.
Peck Brumby, whose family has
manufactured Brumby rockers since the Civil War, acquired the available land in
the 1990s and with it the Tudor home where Mrs. Young had lived. Brumby began
building a larger Tudor that doubled the size of the earlier home. Ben Parham
of LaGrange did the construction of what became known as “Brumby Castle” which
includes magnificent brickwork and details, groined arched ceilings, and unique
details such as the original roof tiles from the historic Grove Park Inn.
Owned jointly with Keith and Jessie
Crozier, the Liechtys renamed “Brumby Castle” in honor of Trish Liechty’s great
(x 14) grandmother, Margaret Pole, the Countess of Salisbury, and her estate in
England.
The Talisman ladies welcomed the
Meriwether club with coffee and brunch nibbles plus handmade floral nametags. The guide through the gardens was Patricia
Striplin of Blue Meadows Farm near Pine Mountain. She explained some of the
Liechty’s goals for the estate which are to share them with the community such
as the upcoming Art in Bloom fundraiser for the art museum. Striplin explained
that she hopes through garden club use, the gardens and estate will be part of the
registered listing of national horticultural sites in the U.S. and regularly
used by plant enthusiasts.
Liechty explained he bought the estate
for a bargain, $2 million, compared to its approximate cost to build and
develop, $17 million, but the estate costs him about $600 a day to maintain.
The Liechtys have booked a number of weddings and parties, and they hope the
manor as an event venue will continue to increase.
The garden tour was impressive. Descending the steps into a sunken garden
area where stones mark off a parterre wheel design, the path leads to a unique
swimming pool and fountain area. One currently undeveloped area of forest leads
to West Point Lake with great potential for the family and for outdoor entertainment.
Another garden path leads through a secret hidden gate and onto Old Young’s
Mill Road and the river, mill, waterfall, and shop that was in use until the mid-1900s.
Striplin was a delightful guide pointing
out the carefully chosen arbor and shrubbery that because of our long and
lingering winter were identifiable only by shape, bark and buds. The delightful
touch of spring was the brilliant green winter rye lawn that made those touring
note that warmer days were imminent.
The Tudor home interior was a delight as
well. Brumby had duplicated the living
room of his mother, who owned a classic Neel Reid home in Atlanta. The wood
paneling through most of the rooms and on the stair railings adds to the
castle’s grandeur and has a beautiful patina.
Most impressive is the basement’s series of groined arches that create a
monastic feel to the area. Liechty plans
to use this lower level-that is complete with hot steam and dry saunas,
Jacuzzi, tiled bathrooms and weight room-as a spa facility with masseuse and
hair and manicure facilities for the bridal parties and guests’ enjoyment. The downstairs “man cave” is complete with
large screen TV and masculine accoutrements. Outside of this area is a vine
draped covered porch with a number of scattered outdoor tables and chairs for
al fresco dining.
The upstairs main dining area of the
Tudor home echoes the castle feel with a long dining table, high backed chairs,
wall sconces, and wooden accents. The kitchen area can accommodate several
chefs and the kitchen storage facilities superb with extras like drawers for
linens and oversized cabinets for silver.
From the time the club entered the manor’s
iron gates and followed the curving drive to the home to their departure, the
ladies felt transported to a centuries old European estate. All agreed it would be a delight to enjoy
regular access to the property for special events and for its planned future as
a spa.
The Talisman club members then hosted
the Merry Weather Garden Club for lunch at Re/Max Realty, formerly the
restaurant In Clover. The ladies found
it delightful to again be in what was one of LaGrange’s most beautiful dining
venues. The downstairs was just as all
had remembered it and many stories were told of events and special occasions
that had taken place there.
