Historic Montpelier estate goes up for sale for $3.4 million as owners decide to scale back
By James P. Gannon
Rappahannock County’s most historic estate, the 200-year old Montpelier mansion, is about to go on the real estate market at an asking price of $3.4 million.
The historic property, which was bought by Roger and Sophie Scruton four years ago, sits on about 175 acres in the county’s scenic and rural F.T. Valley. The property will be listed with Realtor Alan Zuschlag of Armfield, Miller & Ripley Fine Properties in Washington, VA, Sophie Scruton said Wednesday in an interview with RappVoice.
Since buying Montpelier, the Scrutons have split their time between their native England and Rappahannock. “When we bought Montpelier, we thought we would be spending almost full-time in America,” Mrs. Scruton said, but she and her husband have been spending “only about a third of the year” in Rappahannock. “We still have a farm in England, and running two big properties is more than we can do. We feel we don’t use it enough to justify it.”
She added, “If we can sell it, we would like to buy something smaller like a hunt-box. We would like to stay in the Sperryville area.” The Scrutons have found Rappahannock to be “the most welcoming and wonderful spot,” she said.
The history of the old mansion goes back to the eighteenth century, when Francis Thornton built the imposing home for his son William. Located south of Sperryville along Route 231, the manor house looks out to the Blue Ridge Mountains over the scenic the F.T. Valley, named for the builder. Its features include a 110-foot-long porch with massive Colonial pillars three stories high.
The Scrutons have done extensive renovations to the mansion, which stood vacant for many years and was vandalized a few years ago. “We put everything we had into the house,” Mrs. Scruton commented. Their decision to put the property up for sale is a practical one, she indicated.
“The decision is really just about Roger and me being realistic about maintaining this farm and our farm in England,” she said. “It would be better for us to have a smaller place over here for the short time we spend here.” She added, “I want people to know that we have loved every minute of the project to restore Montpelier and we will certainly be sorry to say goodbye to such a beautiful and atmospheric place.”
The Montpelier property became the subject of news coverage and community discussion in 2007 when the owners applied for a county permit to use Montpelier as a conference center for weddings, seminars and business gatherings. After extensive hearings and debate, the Board of Supervisors approved a permit in November 2007. It allows up to 12 such gatherings per year, with numerous conditions designed to control music, size of crowds and other conditions.
If the property is sold, however, the conference center permit will terminate–which was one of the conditions attached to its approval. A new owner would not acquire any such usage rights.
-- James P. GannonComments
Comment from Bill Freitag
Time: October 2, 2008, 9:16 am
I wonder what changed for them since their application for a conference center. Certainly they must have understood that opening and operating a confrence center would be more than a part time job.
–Bill Freitag
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