Trees to the West of the Lawn

The Winthrop Estate is home to some remarkable tree specimens.  To honor these sylvan elders we recently compiled a list of common and Latin names of twelve of our favorite, grandest trees and had arboretum quality labels engraved and hung upon their trunks for our guests to peruse.

As you walk around our grounds, you will see Fagus sylvatica, Copper Beech; Ginko biloba, both male and female; Picea pungens, Colorado Blue Spruce; Robinia pseudoacacia, Black locust; Salix alba, White willow, and Aesculus hippocastanum among others.

The Berkshire Botanical Garden is another wonderful venue for those who enjoy horticultural. berkshirebotanical.org is open May through October and is a the non-profit, educational garden that boasts 15 acres of brilliantly designed and planted ornamental gardens.  A vegetable garden, and an herb garden are further sources of inspiration there.  Hosting classes, lectures and workshops as well as tours of the garden, the Berkshire Botanical Garden is a true Berkshire gem.

Winthrop Estate is one of the few remaining Berkshire Cottages of the Gilded Age.  We are proud to be restoring and maintaining a magnificent architectural gem of American History.

In the latter part of the nineteenth century into the early twentieth century, the growing wealthy upper class aspired to create elite resorts and communities for themselves in which to play, entertain and network.  The Berkshires were home to one of those communities; wealthy families from Boston and New York hired talented architects to build sumptuous houses.

A passage from Richard S. Jackson Jr. and Cornelia Brooke Gilder’s book, The Houses of the Berkshires, 1870-1930 helps to illustrate the significance of the “Berkshire Cottages” in the wider scope of American architecture.

“The intersection of ambitious clients with versatile architects achieved a significant physical presence in a number of cities and resorts, and particularly in one small corner of Massachusetts.  Within a few hundred square miles comprising Lenox and Stockbridge, the best architects from New York and Boston, plus some remarkable able local practitioners, invented a unique and uniquely American landscape of great country houses.”

It is our passion and honor to be the current owners and caretakers of the Winthrop Estate.  We strive to recreate an atmosphere of authentic luxury.  With great pleasure, we invite you to be our guest for your wedding, family reunion or corporate retreat and participate in living a lavish piece of American history.

The Bream Bedroom

Setting the tone to this decidedly French and luxuriously inviting room is a Louise XV-style chaise long with cabriole legs in old white paint and a Louise XV-style Bergere with a curved arched padded back, molded frame and cabriole legs. To the left of the bed is a French tulip wood bijouterie cabinet with a marquetry decorated lift top opening to a mirrored interior, c. 1880, and to the right is a French fruitwood one drawer stand with cabriole legs, c. 1870.  A gilt and white paint convex mirror hangs over the fireplace.  A salmon lobed vase decorated with white figures is mounted as a tabletop lamp.  Hanging over the desk is an 18^th Century carved figural plaque of a sea creature with a later clipped corner frame faux painted in a complementary manner.  There is a mid 19^th Century bronze bas  relief roundel of a woman in profile in a gilt frame and  a pair of 19^th Century French prints in rectangular frames which give the room depth and a sense of collected artifacts.

Even though it’s the dead of winter and we aren’t outside playing on our lawn right now, we are thinking ahead to this summer.  Days are long, skies are clear and all we want to do is be outside.  That’s why we decided to add  a bocce set to our lawn game collection.

Bocce is very popular in Europe and was brought to America by Italians.  Descended from a game played in the Roman Empire, bocce involves rolling balls on a clay, asphalt or smooth lawn.  Anywhere between two to eight players compete in teams.  The United States Bocce Federation has a great website with information, playing tips, and tournament schedules.  They are aiming to get bocce into the Olympic Games!

Even if you are not as serious as those bocce enthusiasts, you will find our bocce set to be the very best available on the market. The Perfetta Club Pro Bocce Set I just ordered should last for years to come and be a focal point for many happy memories.  Our lawn is great, the views spectacular and we have no doubt that bocce is going to become a favorite pastime here at Winthrop Estate!

Berkshire Fishing Club Lake

We are pleased to share with all our guests a membership to the Berkshire Fishing Club.  Now anyone who stays with us at the Winthrop Estate can spend a day at a pristine Palmer Brook Lake fishing for bass, chain pickerel and bluegill.  This is an exclusive fishing club, not open to the general public.  The facilities include a rustic clubhouse with a kitchen, a screened in porch and a deck overlooking the lake.  Classes in all aspects of fishing are available.  This is a great opportunity to spend quality time with the kids, or get away for a quiet personal day.  The resort also has hiking trails, canoes and lawn games.

So, if you are a fisherman at heart, whether you are here for a destination wedding, a corporate retreat or a family getaway, the opportunity exists to escape from it all…..hang the sign: “Gone Fishin’!”

Table design by Annie or www.DaughterofDesign.com, flowers by Crocus of CrocusHale.com

We are so happy to have been included in the recent Lenox Wedding Planner’s Tour.  Coordinated by Cranwell Resort and Spa, the Apple Tree Inn, Classical Tents and Party Goods, Lisa Light of Destination Bride, and Dawn Carberry,  the tour showcased the Berkshires as an outstanding place to host a wedding.  The event was a great opportunity to network with local business and others from NY, Connecicut and beyond.  For the tour, we created a special menu for the 30 or so wedding planners who visited us that included a spicy black bean soup and small plates of Thai beef salad.  We also had bites of gorgonzola, pear and onion confit on Berkshire Mountain Bakery cherry-pecan bread and also melon and asparagus wrapped with prosciutto de parma.  We are happy to say people loved the food, and we loved having everyone here to tour the mansion.  We think the Winthrop Estate is a perfect place for a destination wedding and the professionals agreed!

Photo by the Winthrop Estate staff, table design by Annie of www.DaughterofDesign.com, Flowers by Crocus of www.CrocusHale.com

Cranwell Indoor Pool

Now that the seasons are changing and the air is a bit chilly, our guests have been enjoying our new partnership with Cranwell Resort.  We are happy to offer Winthrop Estate guests complimentary passes to Cranwell’s state of the art, award winning spa facilities.  As a guest of Winthrop Estate you now have the opportunity to visit another beautiful Berkshire Mansion and enjoy a soak in their whirlpool, sauna, steam rooms and indoor and outdoor pools.  What a great way to warm up and relax, knowing you are here to be taken care of in every way!  When you visit our home we want you to feel there is no end to the hospitality.

Cranwell Hot Tub

Cranwell Sauna

The Winthrop Estate is proud to announce our partnership with Cranwell Resort! Our guests can now enjoy complimentary access to Cranwell’s pools, sauna, steam rooms and whirlpool.  Cranwell offers both an indoor and outdoor pool.  The indoor pool measures 60’x30’ with four lap lanes.  A children’s pool makes it family friendly, too.  It gives us great pleasure to offer this benefit to you during your stay at our home here in the Berkshires.  Not only do we gain from creating a wider network with another local business, we know their amazing amenities will enrich your stay with us.  Now you can drop in to Cranwell after a long hike for a relaxing sauna and whirlpool, or swim laps in either of the pools before coming home to Winthrop for a lovely dinner and a relaxing evening with your friends!

A Handwritten Thank You Note

What a lovely note we received!

You can read the whole thing above.  Here are a few highlights: …

“It was E & D’s fairytale wedding!  We could not have asked for anything more.  Your graciousness, your patience, your fabulous staff- what more could anyone ask for.  Our weekend exceeded our expectations.  Having the wedding at the Winthrop was an experience the whole family will never forget.  ….

“THE BEST WEEKEND EVER!

“I highly recommend it…

“Thank you again– it would not have gone so perfectly without you and your staff.”