Bacon's Castle

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Address: 465 Bacon's Castle Trail
City: Surry
State: VA
Zip: 23883
Phone: 757-357-5976
Email: baconscastle@preservationvirginia.org
Website: http://www.apva.org/baconscastle/

Bacon's Castle is a rare example of high-style 17th century domestic Jacobean architecture and the oldest documented house in Virginia. The 1983 discovery of the largest documented 17th century garden in America at Bacon's Castle changed the history of landscape gardening in America. Before 1983, scholarship of Virginia's garden history began with the 18th century and all 17th century gardens were thought to have been utilitarian. But, the archaeological evidence at Bacon's Castle indicated a very large garden of a formal English Renaissance design, with alcoves in the hedge on the west side with places to sit and enjoy the garden.The restored garden includes border beds filled with fruits, shrubs, and flowers; a forcing wall and starting beds; and extensive vegetable plots.

Year: 1989
Landscape Architect: Rudy J. Favretti

Site archaeology, restored garden and forcing wall

Year: 2003
Landscape Architect: William D. Rieley

Trellises for espaliered fruit trees added in front of forcing wall

Year: 2007
Landscape Architect: William D. Rieley

Bell-shape at terminus of central axis defined by brick edging

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