Fantasy Farm Friday: Historic Horse Farm in Virginia
Oh, you know. Just a 1099 acre lot that is chock-full of some amazing history, 113 horse stalls, and plenty of room for guests and training. No big deal…
For a cool $27.5 million, you, too, can bring your horses to this awesome estate in Virginia and become part of its history.
Aerial view of the home. Photo by Sky Blue Media.
This Upperville, VA estate boasts over 1,099 acres, has nine bedrooms, eight-and-half-baths, an awe-inspiring horseshoe shaped barn, and a ton of history.
Dating to 1795, Llangollen is now a 12,500-square-foot manor house, but was once a patent house for the land grant of Leven Powell, a founder of nearby Middleburg, VA. The original house, quickly constructed in the late 1700s, still exists, worked beautifully into the estate.
“It’s been all restored, and it’s part of the house today,” says listing agent Peter Leonard-Morgan, with Hunt Country Sotheby’s International Realty. “Gradually, the stewards who have had the home have just kept doing bits and pieces to it to bring it up to modern standards.”
The original patent house is now a breakfast room with a large fireplace, one of 17 in the house.
Original patent house. Photo by Sky Blue Media.
Unsurprisingly, the house itself will not disappoint.
Wood-paneled library. Photo by Sky Blue Media.
Photo by Sky Blue Media.
Photo by Sky Blue Media.
Photo by Sky Blue Media.
Photo by Sky Blue Media.
Photo by Sky Blue Media.
Photo by Sky Blue Media.
Photo by Sky Blue Media.
But here’s the part that makes it truly a fantasy farm: the equestrian facilities. According to its listing on Sotheby’s International Realty, “Equestrian pursuits have been the anchor at Llangollen since its inception. From the 1930’s, it grew into what became a formidable racehorse operation around its impressive and unique 24 stall horseshoe shaped stable and 5/8 mile training track. The current owners reintroduced polo, the sport of kings, to Llangollen which had earlier played a somewhat minor role. Three world-class polo fields and an arena were installed, and the sport has continued to enjoy success here as the home of Virginia International Polo (VIP).”
Horseshoe-shaped barn. Because why not? Photo by Sky Blue Media.
Photo by Sky Blue Media.
Photo by Sky Blue Media.
Photo by Sky Blue Media.
Photo by Sky Blue Media.
Photo by Sky Blue Media.
Photo by Sky Blue Media.
There’s also a jockey guest house, stone garage with apartment, eight tenant houses, six further barns providing an additional 89 stalls (did you hear that? 89 more stalls!!!), nine run in sheds, ice house, potting shed, smithy and various machine buildings. This is not an estate to pass up… if you have the funds.
Photo by Sky Blue Media.
Photo by Sky Blue Media.
The estate has had many owners. Notably, the people who owned the property in the 1930s turned it into a steeplechase and horse breeding facility.
“It became really a place where the rich and famous would go. Clark Gable was there. So were Elizabeth Taylor and Bing Crosby. I found all these photographs of them at Llangollen,” Leonard-Morgan says.
The Federal-style manor house and all of the other structures on the property are available for $27.5 million. The landmark site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
If you’re interested in purchasing Llangollen, you can view the full listing here. For the rest of us, we can just dream…
