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Carriagers carry on at Point-to-Point

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The parade of carriages at Point-to-Point at Winterthur is always a spectacular sight, with glossy teams of horses pulling lovely carriages with elegant drivers and passengers.

unnamed-6The late George A. “Frolic” Weymouth of Chadds Ford led the parade for years. On Sunday, May 7, John Frazier Hunt of Spring City will lead more than two dozen regal, horse-drawn antique carriages through Winterthur’s 39th Annual Point-to-Point racecourse, continuing the grand procession in honor of his longtime friend.
p allen smith 4Celebrities, including Martha Stewart, often come along for the ride. This year, expect Gloria Austin, international carriaging champion, and P. Allen Smith, national tastemaker and new Winterthur Board of Trustees member. I met Allen a few years ago during a visit to Little Rock, Arkansas, and have been a guest at his fabulous farm, where he raises heirloom livestock, breeds that date back to colonial America. He is a frequent visitor to Winterthur and will be a valued trustee. He also is a really nice guy, a true southern gentleman.

Despite a nippy forecast, Point-to-Point is expected to draw more than 15,000 spectators to the 1,000-acre former country estate of Henry Francis du Pont. The Brandywine Valley’s most stylish spring sporting event, Point-to-Point features a day of professional thoroughbred steeplechase racing, lots of entertainment and glamorous tailgating, in addition to the magnificent horse-drawn carriages.

Hunt will hold the ribbons–that’s carriage-speak for reins–to his grand 1895 Park Drag originally built in London by Henry S. Whitlock for the Gilby gin family. The parade starts at Weymouth’s former home at Big Bend and proceeds along the traditional, winding route to Winterthur. Frolic initiated the parade on a whim 39 years ago, inviting a few friends to ride with him. The crowd enjoyed the spectacle so much that he returned with a few more friends every year for 37 years.

thBut what to wear? Women tend to don something feminine and floaty with wide-brimmed hats for the steeplechase. This year, with temperatures expected in the 50s, I wish I had sensible-but-chic tweeds like the ones the ladies donned at Downton Abbey for a shooting party. (What a treat is was to see the clothes up close and personal at Winterthur’s fabulous Downtown Abbey costume exhibit!)

There’s still time to secure tickets. The show goes on, rain or shine.

 

The high life: 10 top mansions

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The rich are very different. For one thing, they tend to build huge houses.

Keeping up with the Joneses is no easy task. Consider Lonely Planet’s list of 10 Greatest Mansions and Grand Houses.

At the top of the heap is Marble Palace Mansion in Kolkata, India. Lavishly built in 1853 it is filled to the rafters with marble inlay in a blend of neoclassical and traditional Bengali architecture. It’s still privately held and the owners aren’t fussy about dusting. In fact, some of the furniture is covered in old sheets.  You can see it on tour, but you will need a permit from West Bengal Tourism.

No. 2 is the Cheong Fatt Tze mansion in Penang, Malaysia. Built in the 1880s, this indigo-blue Chinese courtyard house was home to Cheong Fatt Tze, a prominent Chinese figure in the newly established Penang Straits Settlement.

Master craftsmen brought in from China built 38 rooms, five granite-paved courtyards and seven staircases. In all, there are 220 windows. Architectural elements include splendid Chinese timber carvings, gothic louvre windows, russet brick walls, porcelain cut-and-paste decorative shard works, and art nouveau stained glass panels. To ensure harmony, the layout is based on feng-shui principles. As befitting a mansion, it’s furnished with a rare collection of sculptures, carvings, tapestries, and other antiques.

Part of the mansion has been converted into a hotel, so you can really live it up. And the currency rate is on your side. Rates range from 420-800 Malaysian Ringgit. That’s $132-$252 in U.S. dollars. Or get a taste of the high life on a guided tour.

Among the Downton Abbey set is an inexplicable choice, Falling Water, a sylvan get-away in Pennsylvania designed by Frank Lloyd Wright that came in at No. 6. Cool? You bet. A mansion? Not even close.

Here are the other grand digs on the exalted list:

  • Werribee Mansion in Australia, built at the height of the Victorian age when the gold rush made Melbourne the richest city in the world.
  • Villa d’Este, outside Rome, transformed from an abbey to a pleasure palace by Lucrezia Borgia’s son.
  • Castle Howard, England, the site of Brideshead Revisted. So grand it took three earls to build it over their lifetimes.
  • Chateau de Chambord, a 16th century French mansion in the Italianate style, so big it could house a small city.
  • Catherine Palace, glowing with gilt in the style of tsarist Russia.
  • Sleeper-McCann house, a 40-room summer cottage in Massachusetts  overlooking Gloucester Harbor.
  • Powerscourt, Ireland, a 13th century castle opulently restored in the 18th century.