Windsor Castle (Smithfield, Virginia)

Windsor Castle is a former plantation and now a public park in Smithfield, Virginia, United States. It is located in the Smithfield Historic District.

Windsor Castle Farm
Back of the manor house
Nearest citySmithfield, Virginia
Coordinates36°58′32″N 76°37′35″W
Area158.3 acres (64.1 ha)
Built1750 (1750)
Architectural styleGreek Revival
NRHP reference No.00000897[1]
VLR No.300-5033
Significant dates
Added to NRHPAugust 2, 2000
Designated VLRJune 14, 2000[2]

History

The plantation dates to a land grant of 1,450 acres (590 ha) by the King of England to Arthur Smith in 1637. Arthur Smith's great grandson, Arthur Smith IV, established the town of Smithfield in 1750. The first recorded use of the name "Windsor Castle" dates from 1884.[3]

In 2005, real estate developer Lewis McMurran obtained an option to purchase Windsor Castle for $2.2 million. The agreement included a historic easement around the manor house. McMurran proposed to build a 445-unit "New Urbanism" development on the property outside the historic easement. The proposal was withdrawn amidst strong opposition from town residents.

In 2007, Joseph W. Luter III donated $5 million to the town for the purchase and development of Windsor Castle as a park. Lewis McMurran then executed his option to purchase the property. The town council voted to pursue the use of eminent domain to obtain the property. In 2009, an out-of-court agreement was negotiated for the town to purchase the property outside the historic easement for $3.8 million and for McMurran to donate to the town the property within the historic easement.

The manor house and surrounding 208 acres (84 ha) were dedicated as a public park in 2010.[4] The 46 acres (190,000 m2) immediately surrounding the manor house are protected by a historic easement controlled by the state of Virginia. The park was formally opened during a ceremony officiated by the Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell on May 22, 2010. The park features hiking trails, a dog park, a mountain bike trail, a fishing pier, and a canoe launch. The manor house overlooks the junction of Cypress Creek and the Pagan River. The King of All Places manor house (circa 1806) can be seen across Cypress Creek from the Windsor Castle property.

On April 2, 2013, it was reported in the Virginian-Pilot that the Smithfield Town Council has leased five acres at Windsor Castle Park to Smithfield Winery LLC to establish a vineyard for a small-production winery.[5] The vineyard operation was terminated in 2019.[6]

  • Manor house and kitchen
  • Front of manor house from across field
  • Front porch of manor house
  • Kitchen
  • Cooking hearth inside kitchen
  • View from front porch toward Smithfield Station and junction of Cypress Creek and Pagan River
  • King of All Places manor house on opposite shore of Cypress Creek
  • South Mason Street park entrance
  • Bridge from South Mason Street park entrance
  • Trail to Cypress Creek marsh overlook
  • View downstream from the marsh overlook looking toward the canoe launch, fishing pier, and Smithfield Station
  • View across Cypress Creek from the marsh overlook looking toward the King of All Places manor house
  • Canoe launch on Cypress Creek
  • Bench along Cypress Creek
  • Fishing pier on Cypress Creek
  • Goodwin and Whitehead gravestones
  • Bench overlooking South Church Street bridge
  • Bridge to Smithfield Station
  • The vineyard at Windsor Castle Park
  • Windsor Castle by Frances Benjamin Johnston, 1935.
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References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  3. Mary Ruffin Hanbury (April 2000). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Windsor Castle Farm" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. and Accompanying photo
  4. "Welcome to Windsor Castle park". Windsor Castle Park Foundation. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  5. Grapes may soon grow at Windsor park in Smithfield | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com
  6. PRESS RELEASE - Smithfield Winery, LLC | www.smithfieldva.gov

Further reading
  • Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County, Virginia, by John Bennett Boddie, Heritage Books, 1993.
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