June 26, 2020
To understand the phenomenon of Curiosity Cabinets, we must first understand the mindset of European society in the early to mid-17th century. It was the tail end of the Italian Renaissance, and the height of the Elizabethan era. During this time, one of the highest co...
May 21, 2020
It is said that history repeats itself, and those who do not learn from it are the ones doomed to repeat it. Well, as 2020 has proven, we are all seemingly repeating history with a plague outbreak. While the current pandemic is global in scale and spread very quickly t...
April 29, 2020
I began researching this post with great intentions of writing up a piece about Lady Day and its importance as an English quarter day. But, while researching the topic, I ran into a more interesting topic—how the calendars of England and Continental Europe slipped out...
March 4, 2020
Icon, Kazan Mother of God
ca. 1900
AH 1967.0011 A-B
Enamel and silver
Russian
As anyone who has visited Agecroft Hall & Gardens knows, most of what is exhibited portrays life in Tudor and Stuart England. The Williams Library, though, is vastly different from the rest of...
January 28, 2020
AH 1978.0014
Early 17th century, modified in the 19th century
Italy
Wood, brass, parchment, ivory
In the centuries before television and the internet offered endless options for amusement, music was the primary form of family entertainment. Some played instruments, others...
October 21, 2019
1942-1967
The Mortons entertained quite frequently at Agecroft Hall, as evidenced by the guest book now displayed in the Williams Library. This red leather-bound book boasts an impressive list of guests ranging from popular musicians to service members....
September 30, 2019
Rising exuberantly above the roofline towards the sky, Agecroft Hall’s fanciful red brick chimneys are a striking contrast to its black timbers and white exterior and, also, a fine example of Tudor-era architectural magnificence. Many modern visitors do not give much t...
June 25, 2019
Much of the credit for Agecroft Hall’s elegant gardens belongs to the designer who originally laid them out: Charles Gillette. Beginning his career in New York, Gillette was a landscape architect best known for his work in the South during much of the first half of the...
April 11, 2019
In 1925, T. C. Williams, Jr. purchased Agecroft Hall, sight unseen, at an auction in England. The house was then dismantled, shipped to the United States and rebuilt in Richmond, VA. Mrs. Elizabeth Williams Morton (affectionately known as Bessie) lived in the home unti...