点评:We booked Lyndhurst Classic Mansion Tour for 2 pm and were fortunate to have a wonderful guide, Mark, and only two other couples who joined us on that very hot afternoon. We started with a short history overview and brief description of truly magnificent grounds overlooking Hudson River on one side and vast green lawn on another.
The mansion was built by the famous architect, Alexander Jackson Davis in Gothic revival style for its second owner, George Merritt (the first owner was William Paulding, Jr, the mayor of New York from 1825 to 1826 and again from 1827 to 1829). Then the country estate was sold to the railroad magnate, Jay Gould, in 1880. His daughter Helen managed the estate and her sister Anna donated it to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1961.
The furnishings were also designed by Alexander Jackson Davis and are fine examples of Gothic Revival style. The dining room for 14 guests and the bedrooms look beautiful albeit a bit heavy for my taste, but that’s typical for Gothic Revival. I was disappointed with the art gallery full of mediocre paintings, except for one I spotted immediately: the portrait of Jay Gould by well known American artist, Eastman Johnson. Several rooms have The Tiffany lamps and stained glass windows in several rooms add the Gilded Age charm to the mansion.
The Rose Garden is small but so lovely and the roses were in full bloom and I braved to walk there in oppressive heat to “smell the roses”.
Another special spot is a tiny Rose Cottage built for two Helen Gould’s beloved nieces. It has a little oven, a set of wicker furniture for their dolls and even its own telephone.
And the gallery of objects which belong to the mansion but are not on display in its rooms is marvelous.
翻译:我们预订了下午两点的林德赫斯特经典庄园之旅,很幸运地遇到了一位很棒的导游马克,那天下午天气炎热,只有另外两对夫妇和我们一起游览。行程首先是简短的历史概述,以及对庄园壮丽景色的简要介绍:一边俯瞰哈德逊河,另一边则是广阔的绿色草坪。
这座庄园由著名建筑师亚历山大·杰克逊·戴维斯设计,采用哥特复兴式风格,是为第二任主人乔治·梅里特建造的(第一任主人是威廉·保尔丁二世,他曾于1825年至1826年以及1827年至1829年担任纽约市市长)。1880年,这座乡村庄园被卖给了铁路大亨杰伊·古尔德。他的女儿海伦管理着庄园,她的妹妹安娜于1961年将其捐赠给了国家历史保护信托基金。
庄园内的家具也由亚历山大·杰克逊·戴维斯设计,是哥特复兴式风格的典范之作。可容纳14位客人的餐厅和卧室看起来很漂亮,虽然对我来说略显沉重,但这在哥特复兴式建筑中很常见。我对画廊里的画作感到失望,除了我一眼就看中的一幅——美国著名艺术家伊斯特曼·约翰逊为杰伊·古尔德所作的肖像——之外,其他画作都平庸无奇。几间房间里的蒂芙尼灯和彩色玻璃窗为这座宅邸增添了镀金时代的魅力。
玫瑰园虽小却十分美丽,玫瑰花正值盛开,我顶着闷热的天气漫步其中,只为“闻闻玫瑰的芬芳”。
另一个特别的地方是为海伦·古尔德两位心爱的侄女建造的小玫瑰小屋。小屋里有一个小烤箱、一套供她们玩偶使用的藤制家具,甚至还有一部自己的电话。
此外,还有一个画廊,陈列着宅邸内所有但未在房间内展出的物品,令人叹为观止。