Tea Time!

HAYFIELD MANOR (c.1760)

(this picture was taken in June 2008, when we went had a picnic lunch and tour there)

Sunday, I went with my RHSS group to a tea sponsored by The Stafford, VA/Stafford, England Friendship Association. It was held at Hayfield Manor, which is a beautiful old house, that is located on property owned by Aggregate Industries (Sand & Gravel). It was originally built by the Battaile family and has had the honor of hosting Confederate Generals Lee, Jackson, Stewart and Pendleton in the dining room during the winter of 1862-63 when the Taylor family owned the property. The house was completely run down and in very bad shape, when they decided to renovate it and they did a beautiful job of doing so. They modernized the kitchen, but it still has a bit of the old world appeal to it and they reoriented the layout by taking out the center stairway and turning it around and the front of the house (river side) is now the back and the back is now the front. The interior was beautifully repaired and painted. Here are a few pictures taken at the tea. My camera battery died after the first picture I took, but luckily I had my charger with me and I was able to get some pictures later, unfortunately the layout of food and tea cups was not quite as impressive by then, but you get the idea.

The flowers were from the garden of one of the SVSEFA ladies. Aren't the gorgeous. The daffodils on the dining tables were by another woman.
This was the sitting/library area

This was the parlor/meeting room, I believe.

Here are some of our ladies that arrived late (got lost) toasting with Mimosas.

Family room and some other RH groups.

One of the bedrooms upstairs (only one was furnished). All had a fireplace.

I would love to have one of these old claw-foot tubs.

This isn't a good picture of the kitchen, but you see what I mean about the charm it has. The refrigerator is a hidden one and has a cabinet front to blend in and is behind the girl in the sweatshirt.