As an Anglophile, I was intrigued at the British spelling of this property’s name and since I am a history buff, I knew there must be an interesting explanation and indeed there was.
The original Grafton Manour was a country estate in the village of Grafton Regis, South Northamptonshire and the name Grafton means “settlement at or near the wood”. Today’s featured property was a land grant of 1,000 acres that was first granted to Colonel John Harris of London on August 20, 1659. Harris may have known about Grafton Manour and chose its name for his new estate in Maryland.
Fate intervened and Harris later lost the property, perhaps due to unpaid taxes, and Vincent Lowe became the next owner of Grafton Manour. Lowe subsequently increased his land to 15,000 acres but he died without an heir. His relative, John Lowe became the owner of Grafton Manour and it remained in the Lowe family until 1802. I checked my source for all things Historic in Talbot County, “Where Land and Water Intertwine” and consulted with Catherine Hill of the Talbot County Historical Society in my quest to find pictures of other houses on this property. Our diligent research did not result in finding any house that could be verified.
Another interesting historical fact I did discover is that after the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, King Henry VII granted Britain’s Grafton Manour to Sir Gilbert Talbot. It remained a seat of the Talbot family for roughly 400 years, whose family name is also well known in our area.
Fast forward to Grafton Manour today with its 86+/- acres sited on a point of land along shorelines that vary from natural grasses, sandy beaches to riprap of Briary Cove, Waterhole Cove and Harris Creek that lead to the Chesapeake Bay. The combined solar orientations of east, southeast and west provide abundant sunshine for the current house that was built in 2004.
On the day of my visit, I left the highway and drove along a meandering lane through woods, open fields, a family cemetery dating from the 1770’s, a guest/farmhouse and signs that identified this property’s bonus of two subdivided waterfront lots; one on Briary Cove and the other on Waterhole Cove.
The house was sited carefully to maximize unobstructed sweeping vistas of the water and the farmhouse style architecture pays homage to its surroundings of 60+/- tillable acres.
The driveway ends at the main house opposite the barn. Before I went in, I walked slowly along the front elevation to savor its perfect scale and proportions. I especially appreciated how the architect broke up what would have been a very long elevation by creating sections connected by one-story spaces that contain doors to the landscape. The mix of the silo’s dome, the “dovecote” dormers, gables and the clean lines of the siding, window and door trim and the accent of the silo’s horizontal bands that surround the vertical siding create a delightful composition.
The rear elevation fully shows how the highly articulated massing telescopes down from the rooms of the exquisite three story silo down to a two and half story section and then to the final one and a half story sections. The barn complements the house’s exteriors but its roof dormers are half-moon shapes for contrast. The simple color palette of white siding and green roofs is classic and the few trees along the shoreline do not obstruct the water views from within the house.
I was so glad that the aerial photographer took this photo that shows the offsets of the house’s sections and the outdoor rooms of the deck to the silo, the second floor deck with the red umbrella, the main floor’s wrap-around decks and finally the Adirondack chairs at the ground level grouped around a fire pit. From the ground’s worm’s eye water views to the bird’s eye views of the upper decks, the outdoor rooms enjoy panoramic water views.
I admired this side elevation of the house that shows the open deck at the second floor, the main floor’s partially covered deck and the glazed sunroom that illustrates the variety of spaces for relaxation by the water.
The foyer of the main house’s sloped ceiling follows the underside of the gable roof that gives this small room spatial volume. The half paneled, half glazed door and the circular accent window provide ample daylight. Bespoke millwork store coats, hats, etc. and the cushioned seat makes it easy to take off one’s wellies after a day outdoors. The easy care tile is the perfect flooring choice and its dark color highlights the white walls and ceiling. From the foyer, a short “T” shaped hall contains a large closet, full bath and laundry.
One end of the “T” shaped hall blends into the open plan living-dining- kitchen-screened porch. The earth tones of the massive stone fireplace makes it the focal point of the room. Behind the wood-burning fireplace is another room with a wood-burning fireplace that could be a formal dining room and a corner sunroom. The circular stair leads to a loft.
I admired the architect’s careful detailing of the horizontal chestnut bands that break up the height of the walls with the glass doors, windows and transoms below and introduces the exceptional level of craftsmanship found throughout the house.
One horizontal chestnut band continues over the top of the loft rail and along the wall of the loft. The seating area is anchored by the large rug over the wide-plank wood floors milled from the same chestnut as the great room beams so one can enjoy both the warmth of the fire and the water views.
I also admired the transparency of the room with windows at the side wall to the adjacent screened porch for panoramic corner views. This photo shows the massive chestnut trusses whose bottom chords connect seamlessly to the horizontal chestnut band. Sunlight from the round window in the gable wall and the shed dormer windows provide additional sunlight. The color palette of the light brown wall color and darker brown cedar slat ceiling highlight the dark color of the wood floors.
As an architect, I sketch many interior elevations so I admired how each view of the great room was carefully considered. This wall’s three pairs of doors and transoms with the shed roof dormer perfectly centered above the middle door and transom create a perfect symmetry.
The corner dining area has direct views of the water and indirect views through the adjacent screened porch.
The large screened porch seems even taller than it is due to its sloped ceiling and the vertical siding. The fireplace is a sculptural element and provided warmth on the early days of fall. The side door leads to the wrap-around deck and to the fire-pit area beyond for great indoor-outdoor flow.
The kitchen sink area has a full vista through the living-dining areas’ windows to the lawn and water. The kitchen’s design with the mix of both dark and light cabinetry and the countertops continue the neutral color scheme. I admired how the shed roofed ceiling has exposed rafters and another rafter above the top of the cabinets that blends into the bottom chord of the great room’s trusses-great detail!
The focal point of the kitchen is the gourmet stove with its heavy stained wood brackets supporting the hood with its paneled header and the tiled full backsplash. The cabinetry design with short legs for a furniture look rather than a built-in look, mix of glazed and solid doors, appliance doors at one area and the different countertop selection all creates a unique space any cook would enjoy!
Next to the kitchen and behind the dining area is a short hall that passes a stair to the silo’s top two floors and ends at another room that could be a unique guest bedroom with its bathroom being located on the main level of the silo.
To explore the other end of the house, I crisscrossed my way through the living area to the loft room overlooking the great room below.
The house is partially furnished at this time but it is easy to see how the spacious loft could have many uses. Standing at the top of the circular stair, I enjoyed the view to the round window in the gable wall beyond. The exterior wall opposite the chimney has two windows flanking a pair of French doors to the second floor deck.
After coming back down the loft’s circular stair, I passed through the formal dining room behind the living room’s fireplace next to this spacous corner sunroom. Its interior wall of glass doors and windows that is shares with the sitting room creates great transparency for both rooms.
The sunroom is part of one of the connections between the sections of the house. Behind it is a small kitchen with an exterior door leading to a shallow deck and steps to the driveway, making it easy for caterers to service large parties.
The catering kitchen’s door opens into this wide hall with bespoke millwork and double glazed doors and transoms that lead to steps down to the lawn for easy access for catering outdoor events. This space also leads to the primary ensuite.
Opposite the hall with the bespoke millwork is a stair leading to this space with delightful interior architecture from its knee walls, long sloped ceilings and triple window dormer. An exterior door with an arched top and porthole window leads to the second floor deck and to the loft room. This could be a great TV room, office, studio, or a wonderful sitting room for the main floor primary suite below.
The main floor primary bedroom’s approximate dimensions of 17 feet x 20 feet could easily accommodate both sleeping and sitting areas. The tray ceiling gives the space additional height and the pair of glazed doors lead to steps down to the lawn for a stroll before turning in for the night.
The main floor primary bath contains two compartments. This one contains the tub and lavatory cabinetry; the other compartment contains the shower, toilet and another lavatory cabinet.
I saved the best part of my tour for exploring the top two rooms that open to the silo. If this were my house, I would make this space with its sloped ceiling my primary bedroom since it is the only space with direct access to the upper silo rooms. The front window and rear corner windows offer bird’s eye views of the lawn and water. Bespoke millwork and a walk-in closet off the hall to the silo bath would certainly fulfill my needs.
The exquisite round bathroom is laid out quite well with a seat below one window of the silo that creates separate lavatories-who knew curved cabinets could be so functional? The wall hung mirrors reminded me of how the art in the Guggenheim Museum projects slightly from the wall. The glass shower that resembles a pneumatic tube maintains the geometry of this unique space.
Diminutive spaces offer a special charm so my fave space of this one of a kind house is the spectacular top floor of the silo-I almost expected the dome to open up for a view of the sky! Who could resist a 360 degree view while being surrounded by landscape and water, all the way to the Chesapeake Bay and the far horizon!
Realtors may sometimes be accused of “puffing” or exaggerating a property’s appeal but this property with a dream team of an owner, architect and builder did create an extraordinary house for this one of a kind property-Bravo!
The property also contains a Caretaker’s Residence or a Guest House, barn and outbuildings. The large heated barn has concrete floors, three overhead doors, an expansive workbench, and open-loft recreation room. Attached to the barn is a conditioned office/hunters’ lodge with full bath and hookups for laundry and kitchenette. The fenced, raised bed garden is near a small apple orchard.
This unique property has offers myriad possibilities including a family compound or exclusive retreat. Boating enthusiasts would appreciate the deep-water pier with 7′ MLW, suitable for larger boats and sailboats, for direct access to the Chesapeake Bay. Equestrian enthusiasts could retrofit the barn for stables and add a paddock; sporting enthusiasts would find shoreline waterfowl,whitetail deer and turkey. If one desired a pool, a smaller barn could become a pool house. There is also ample acreage and infrastructure for hobby farming, vineyards, or conservation. Two subdivided, waterfront lots offer additional possibilities.Who could ask for anything more-this is a once in a generation opportunity to own an iconic waterfront estate “where land and water (truly do) intertwine!”
For more information about this property, contact Tracy Higgs Wagner, with Meredith Fine Properties at 410-745-8060 (o), 410-310-5581 (c) or tracyhiggswagner@gmail.com .For more our photographs and pricing visit, www.meredithfineproperties.com ,“Equal Housing Opportunity.”
Architect: Darren Machulsky, www.dmachulsky.com/portfolio.com
Builder: Peter E. Hanlon, Inc., 410-819-3334
Photographer: Will Stokes, Townsend Visuals, 443-717-0592, www.townsendvisuals.com.
“Where Land and Water Intertwine An Architectural History of Talbot County, Maryland”, by Christopher Weeks, with contributions by Michael O. Bourne, John Frazer ,Jr., Marsha L Fritz and Geoffrey Henry, published by The Johns Hopkins University Press and The Maryland Historical Trust.