victoriamag.com 42room. As a descendent of the revered Washington fam-
ily, she was delighted with Alfred’s wedding gift: a chair
once used at Mount Vernon. It now has pride of place
in this sunny space.
The magnifi cence continues on the property’s 300-
acre grounds. Inspired by those at Versailles, Nemours’s
jardins à la française are considered the fi nest example
of formal French gardens in North America. A long
walk leads from the mansion to the immense refl ecting
pool, where tuffets of golden chrysanthemums mark the
season, and a classic colonnade forms the backdrop. A
boxwood parterre and arborvitae maze echo the gar-
den’s Gallic roots, while the Romanesque Temple of
Love adds a fi tting element to this elegant estate, built
as a grand gesture of affection.
HIDDEN TREASURES