I have just read Five Sisters: The Langhornes of Virginia by James Fox. It tells the story of the Langhorne family of Virginia - particularly the five most famous: Lizzie, Irene (Gibson), Nancy (Astor), Phyllis and Nora. It is an absorbing read and I highly recommend it. Two of the five girls and also one niece, Nancy Lancaster, lived in England and were the owners of fabulous country estates.
I am fascinated by Phyllis Brand's country house - called Eydon Hall, built in 1789. While not as grand as Nancy Astor's Cliveden or Nancy Lancaster's Kelmarsh, Ditchley Park and Haseley Court, Eydon Hall is wonderful because of its relatively smaller scale and also because it has not been altered from its original design. It is more the size of Mirador, the Virginia house in which all of these ladies grew up.
Phyllis Langhorne Brand by John Singer Sargent
illustration of Eydon Hall by Robert Henry Cheney
Eydon Hall is located near the village of Eydon in Northhamptonshire. It is a Palladian stately house and remarkably is still a private residence. The house is made of ironstone and each of its four facades is different. It has nine bedrooms and four main reception rooms.
Eydon Hall Lane
The Orangery at Eydon Hall
What an interesting house (and family). More on the houses of the Langhorne sisters later this week. To read an architectural history of the building - click here.
