Well, this is pretty amazing! So is that price! Llangollen was built in 1795. Hard to believe, but in the 1980’s this house was left to ruin. A developer tried to purchase it with plans to tear it down and put in a new neighborhood. Located on 1,100 acres in Upperville, Virginia. It is situated at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. In 1930 the home was purchased by John Hay Whitney as a wedding gift for his fiancée, Mary Elizabeth Altemus. Liz spent a great deal of money turning Llangollen into a major breeding and training for hunt horses and thoroughbreds for flat racing and steeplechase events. They divorced in 1940, but she kept the estate and lived there until her death in 1988.
During her later years she let the house and property become run down. Before the developer could buy the property and turn it into a neighborhood, Roy Ash and his wife Lila saved it from demolition. They created a large cow-calf operation, raising 300 angus cows. As Roy approached his 90th birthday in 2007, he sold the property for $22,000,000. It was purchased by businessman Donald P. Brennan and his wife, Patricia. Their daughter oversees the property. I believe Mr. Brennan is with Morgan Stanley.
The home has nine bedrooms, eleven bathrooms, and 10,000 square feet. $34,000,000
From the Zillow listing:
Llangollen is not just a home, but rather a place in the broadest sense of the term. Steeped in historical significance, it is one of the largest privately owned places on the Department of the Interior’s National Historical Registry. Much more than a place to live, it is a truly wonderful and magical place in time. Llangollen is a property without peer and offers a lifestyle like no other. Llangollen’s establishment dates to 1795 standing witness to many great historical events, including being the site of the prelude to the1863 Battle of Gettysburg. Pristine yet functional, inviting yet cloistered, this astounding estate offers a serene setting of gently rolling terrain. The Manor House is sited proudly in the center of over 1100 acres of pastures, ponds, forest lands and attended to by all of the necessary structures and features of the grand estate it is today.
While bearing the distinctive architectural features of its circa 1800 era, it has been updated with modern day enhancements.Enjoy the property as a delightful family retreat, filled with outdoor activities and connections with nature. Llangollen offers plenty of opportunities for equestrian pursuits including polo, thoroughbred-breeding and fox hunting as well as dairy farming or a vineyard. ***Please familiarize yourself with the array of buildings, barns and facilities situated throughout its grounds in the documents section of this listing.***Llanglollen looks forward to greeting its next steward and continuing on with its magnificent legacy. 2019-08-22
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