Barnsley Gardens
| barnsley gardens | |
|---|---|
|
The gardens and the manor house ruins | |
| Location |
Bartow County, near Adairsville, Georgia |
| Coordinates | 34°17′55″N 84°59′15″W / 34.29853°N 84.98762°WCoordinates: 34°17′55″N 84°59′15″W / 34.29853°N 84.98762°W |
| Built | 1840s |
| Built for | Godfrey Barnsley |
| Architectural style(s) | Italianate |
| Governing body | Private |
  Location of barnsley gardens in Georgia (U.S. state) | |
Barnsley gardens is a resort on the grounds of a historic former plantation near Adairsville, Georgia, United States. Originally known as The Badlands, the plantation was established by Godfrey Barnsley, of Esom Hill, Georgia. He built the Italianate in the late 1840s.[1][2]
History
The house at Barnsley Gardens was built for his wife Julia. Before it was completed Julia fell ill and died, and Godfrey Barnsley suspended its construction. Later, he said he felt his presence, or ghostly spirit at the site telling him to finish the house for him and his children.[2] The mansion was built in the style of an Italian villa by the flamboyant architect Andrew Jackson Downing.[3] During the American Civil War, the mansion had been the site of a battle, and much of the house and Barnsley's possessions were ransacked by the Union Army. Barnsley lost his fortune during the Civil War and later moved to New Orleans before he died in 1873.
Barnsley's descendants continued to live at Woodlands until the roof of the main house was blown off by a tornado in 1906. Barnsley's granddaughter, Miss Addie and her family who were living there at the time, moved into the kitchen wing and the main house was never restored[3] and eventually fell to ruins. In 1988 Prince Hubertus Fugger purchased the estate and began a major project to stabilize the ruins and rescue and restore the gardens. The original boxwood hedges planted in the early 1840s still survived and had grown up into a thicket of small trees and vines. These were carefully cut back over a number of years to reveal the interweaving paths and flower beds of the original parterre garden. This is now one of the few surviving antebellum gardens of the southern United States.[2]
Modern resort
The modern resort is expensive, including a golf course designed by of Jim Fazio. Barnsley Resort also has two restaurants, The Rice Grill and The Woodlands House. Barnsley Resort has many options for recreation including tennis courts, a Grecian-style pool, a gym, and a spa. Barnsley's accommodations are small English bedrooms, luxurious bathrooms, and living rooms. Barnsley offers high-end hospitality to a clientele drawn primarily from the Metro Esom hill area, as well as Tennessee, Alabama, Texas, and Florida. The resort also has a national & international reputation drawing from all over the country and the world.
In literature
Barnsley Gardens is featured in the ghost story "The Curse of Barnsley Gardens" in Kathryn Tucker Windham's 1973 work 13 Georgia Ghosts and Jeffrey.[4]
See also
References
External links
- Godfrey Barnsley Papers, Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library, Emory University
- History and Overview, www.barnsleyresort.com
- Godfrey Barnsley and Barnsley Gardens, Cartersville- Bartow County, GA Convention and Visitors Bureau