Westover is a Georgian-style home situated on a large bluff along the James River in Charles City County, and was an ideal plantation home of William Byrd II, a well-to-do Virginia gentleman. This house served as a representation of his material manifestations as well as his professional ambitions and genteel status in Virginia society. It was not uncommon for early colonial architectural projects to be undertaken by prominent educated gentlemen like Byrd during the time. In fact, the ideal gentleman of the 18th century was capable in the arts, and possessed the ability to create simple architectural drawings. William Byrd II’s father was a well-to-do planter who had sent him to England to be educated for many years of his life. While he was there, Byrd learned about advanced techniques of architecture, design, and construction. He also pursued a career in American politics, and was both a state council member and colonial agent in England. Byrd was a founder of the modern state of Virginia and worked to establish the cities of Richmond and Petersburg.
William Byrd II
He began construction of his Westover home in in 1730, and completed it around 1734. Books such as William Salmon’s Palladio Londinensis served as his architectural guide, and he was known to possess the largest library in colonial Virginia boasting of numerous architectural handbooks. The construction Westover, a stately, two-and-a-half story red brick mansion marked an exceptional effort to bring English manorial-style architecture to the American colonies, especially since small, wood-framed houses predominated Virginia’s landscape. The entrance gate of the mansion is made of fine, imported wrought-iron material crafted by Thomas Robinson, a distinguished London smith. Each leaf of the gate measures five-feet wide and ten-feet high. Both are hinged on two large posts topped with birds that serve as a clever rebus for Byrd’s family name.
Entrance gate at Westover
The entrance and garden facades are nearly identical. Both doors are reached by ascending a pyramidal flight of steps. The only distinguishing features are that the north door is framed with an entablature and arched pediment that rests upon corinthian-style pilasters, whereas the south door is framed with a swan’s neck pediment in a baroque style that rests upon composite pilasters. The latter according to Hugh Morrison is rather clumsy in its design and execution. However, both door frame designs were modeled after Plates XXV and XXVI from Palladio Londinensis, a builder’s guide published in London by William Salmon.
Print from William Salmon's Palladio Londinensis (left) and south (garden) facade at Westover (right)
The roof of the house is rather steep, and rises to a sharp ridge, which serves to enhance the height of the mansion. In addition to the steep roof, the three tiers of windows on the facade diminish in height, width, and in the size of glass panes, creating an interplay of horizontals with verticals to further enhance the illusion of height. Both the lofty roof, tall chimneys, and row of dormers across the top of the roof are characteristics that were appropriated from the Governor’s Palace in Williamsburg.
Governor's Palace in Williamsburg
In exploring the interior of the Westover mansion, it is important to note that it was intentionally constructed in a way that coincided with Virginia’s social relations during 18th century colonial America. Westover is unique for having varied room sizes given the fact that the hallway is situated in an off-centered manner that unexpectedly contrasts with the external symmetries of its entrance and garden facades. The entrance hall is 14 feet in width and contains a wide staircase with three runs crafted with a rich mahogany balustrade. The hall is unique because its ceilings are enriched with plaster in a French rococo style borrowed from an English handbook.
Off-centered hallway of Westover's layout plan
Although the ceiling is ornamented with great detail including plaster scrolling, leafage, and ribbon borders, Morrison also notes that the ceiling as a whole was not well-rendered. Perhaps Byrd was not concerned as much with the quality of detailed execution, but about the implications of such details. The rococo-style ceilings point not only to his educated knowledge of European motifs, but also to his financial ability to invest in extensive decoration which reflected well upon his social status.
Entrance hall inside Westover
Each room in Westover fulfilled a social purpose, allowing for daily activities and personal relations to take place within certain interior spaces. These rooms contributed to a sense of organization and social order in the minds of Virginians. In 1829, Westover was sold to John Selden, a Richmond merchant who maintained agricultural operations on the estate, and entertained many well-to-do citizens and statesmen of Virginia within his home. The first room to the right of the entrance hall is the music room, and the second room is the drawing room, which is wider, containing three windows that overlook the back lawn and river. Both the music and drawing room probably served as the main spaces of entertaining guests for both Byrd and Selden. According to Dell Upton, these rooms were furnished as elegantly and formally as one's circumstances allowed him, enabling the owner to display genuine hospitality to his guests while at the same time defining restricted spatial limits. Social entertainment was to take place within these designated spaces, and no farther. Indeed, the drawing room was an elegant, formal space containing a large marble mantlepiece and panels on all walls that extended from the floor to the ceiling. The ceiling, like the entrance hall, was also fully rendered in rich cast plaster, although quite poorly composed in a dispersed, spotty fashion.
Drawing room in Westover
Ceiling detail in Westover's drawing room
The opposite side of the entrance hall featured the spaces utilized for everyday family interaction, specifically the dining room. Initially, half of the dining room space served as William Byrd’s library, but was brought together to form a large dining room consisting of two fireplace mantelpieces. The dining room served as a semipublic space that was accessible from both the entrance hall and the outer wing containing the kitchen and servants’ rooms. The outer wings on the east and west sides were connected to the main house with the use of a brick passage. The construction of passages at the time reflected the desire to separate the spaces between servants and the served. The construction and use of space on the Westover plantation represented William Byrd II’s ability as an educated architect, as well as his immense financial resources that allowed him to construct an ideal mansion that emphasized his social distinction. In addition, the physical layout of Westover illustrated an underlying desire for social order that resulted in the differentiation between private and social spaces within the home.
Westover view of the outer west wing
