Director

<p>Battersea was built in 1768 by
Colonel John Banister. Colonel Banister (1734-1788) was an important figure for
both Petersburg and the emerging nation as it struggled for independence. Colonel
Banister’s involvement in the Revolutionary War effort<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[1]</a> as
well his signing of the Articles of Confederation demonstrates his essential
role in the politics of the day. He was also Petersburg’s first mayor, a member
of the House of Burgesses, and participated in the framing of the Virginia
Declaration of Rights and the state constitution. </p>

<p>Although Banister’s doings were
well-known, Battersea’s story is a bit more obscure. The house features Anglo-Palladian
style architecture fashioned after the Italian architect Andrea Palladio’s
designs. The house, or “villa” is subdivided into five symmetrical sections
characteristic of Palladian architecture, but the patternbook plates of British
writer Robert Morris also influence elements of the home. Unfortunately, and
mysteriously, the designer of Battersea is unknown. Whoever designed the villa would
have had extensive knowledge of popular architectural styles in addition to a
familiarity with European tastes<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[2]</a></p>

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<p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" title="Link: null">[1]</a>
Banister contributed numerous supplies to American troops. He also corresponded
with then-Governor Jefferson and General Washington about military and monetary
concerns during the War as a lieutenant colonel of cavalry under General
Lawson, for which he acquired his title “colonel”. </p>

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<p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[2]</a> Banister
was educated in England, making it likely that he had experienced such European
architectural inspiration, but there is little evidence that he had the
know-how to design Battersea completely on his own. Jefferson and Banister
wrote to each other, and Jefferson of course was highly interested in
architectural pursuits. Though there is speculation that Jefferson was
involved, there again is lacking evidence to prove who had a hand in designing
Battersea’s magnificence. </p>

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Website

Battersea is a marvelous 18th century estate located in Petersburg, Virginia. Built in 1768, Battersea celebrates its 250th anniversary. Its characterstic Palladian style architecture and beautiful grounds provide visitors a memorable and unique historical experience.
Battersea Foundation is restoring Battersea for future generations. The estate is one of the finest surviving Palladian structures in America and is a Virginia Historic Landmark listed in the National Register of Historic Places. 

Battersea

The Battersea Walking Tour comprises the Battersea grounds and contributing historical buildings as well the interior of the Battersea villa, built in 1768 by Petersburg's first mayor Colonel John Banister. The tour takes about an hour to complete. If you are interested in scheduling a time for a self-guided tour of the property and home, please contact Battersea Foundation at: (804)-732-9882

When Battersea was first constructed, it had plain brick walls. During the 1820s under the ownership of Judge John May, the stucco finish was likely added, effectively accentuating the Palladian appearance of Battersea. Because the brick was scored it was probably intended for the villa to be stuccoed all along given that the Banisters would have been able to afford perfect brick had they wanted the exterior to remain so. In the late 18th and early 19th century, the original one-story portico on the south side was replaced with a large two-story one taking up most of the front face of the central block. This was when the upper window on the central block was converted into a glass panel door to provide access to the second level of the portico.<br>This double portico was again reduced to a one-story, Federal style portico by Judge May, who owned Battersea until 1841. May also altered the three other porticos of Battersea to resemble a Federal style. Additionally, May added the Venetian windows with excellently crafted gauged-brick jack arches. The altered windows further reflect neo-Palladian architecture in Europe at the time. Battersea today most closely resembles the May era. Few changes to the exterior or interior were made after his ownership of the property. As such, the historical and architectural integrity remains remarkably well preserved. The front door to the property is also original, and hand painted to resemble wood grain by master faux finish artist, Elaine Tucker- Haviland, who owns Faux Finish Creations in Richmond, VA.&nbsp; <br><br>

The exterior of Battersea exhibits a five-part Palladian style design complete with a Roman pine cone finial atop the roof, a symbol of fertility and immortality. The exterior remains well-preserved from the early 19th century and all sections of the house are original with no later additions present. 

Battersea Exterior

<p>At the beginning of construction, the “central block” was
planned as a large, central space, but before completion the single room was partitioned
into an entry area and saloon, which fit more closely with one of Robert
Morris’ famous architectural plates<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[1]</a>.
Along the left side of the entry is a Chinese lattice staircase. These types of
beautiful staircases signified status and dignified taste during the late 18th
century. Battersea’s Chinese lattice staircase is original and extremely well
preserved. It is probably the best surviving example in Virginia today. </p>

<p><b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </b>The saloon would have likely
acted as an informal family room. Separating the entry, or waiting area from
the saloon could direct visitors away from the informal family room to the most
embellished part of the villa, the east hyphen and pavilion. As such, the
saloon sports fewer stylistic touches, save for its plaster cornices along the
ceiling. The Black marble mantel’s simplistic Greek Revival style suggests it
was installed in the 1840s, after the Federal movement of the 1820s. The doors
to the north portico could be opened, along with the front doors in the summer
months to allow a cool breeze through the home.&nbsp;
DeAndre Friend of D.E. Friend Plastering, Drywall &amp; Stucco [is or has
recently] re-plastered the walls in this room and the walls in the entryway. </p>

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The five-part interior of the house is modeled after what was known as the “formal plan” of the 17th and 18th centuries. The formal plan was utilized as a layout for European palaces and grand homes in the colonies. 

Battersea Interior: Central Block 

Evidence suggests that the west side of the villa was used as a private quarters and service area because of its lacking embellishment. In fact it was left without interior finish or plastered walls, which further hints at its original purpose. The west hyphen was initially divided into a smaller chamber and a hallway, possibly allowing slaves to get from the west pavilion to the main part of the house. May took out the dividing wall in the west hyphen, making one large room  and finished the west pavilion, adding plaster to the walls and a second floor by lowering the ceiling joists. In the 20th century the west pavilion became a kitchen.

Battersea Interior: West Hyphen & Pavilion

	The east hyphen was originally used as a parlor or drawing room where visitors and guests would be received. The east pavilion beyond was the Banister’s dining room. Both were elaborately decorated. In the 1820s, these rooms were converted into double parlors and given marble mantels and woodwork in line with the Federal renovations Judge May oversaw during this period. The window on the east wall of the pavilion leading to the east porch used to be a doorway, but was converted into a triple-hung window and secured with shutters. Jefferson himself was a fan of this style of window, including them in his home at Monticello. In the 1890s a bathroom was installed on the outside of the east pavilion with a doorway leading there, however it has since been removed and the doorway resealed.

Battersea Interior: East Hyphen & Pavilion

<div><p>One of the
greatest contributions May brought to Battersea was the addition of the traditional
style greenhouse<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[1]</a>. It
was built circa 1830, and would have represented status and good taste as greenhouses
during this period were a luxury, some estimates concluding that a greenhouse
could cost upwards of $200,000 dollars per year in modern terms. In 2017 James
River Institute for Archaeology did a study of the greenhouse and excavated 19 test
units around the north, west, and south walls. Interestingly, they found that
the greenhouse had no heat source, so they believe the building either relied
solely on sunlight, or decomposing bark beds made of manure, compost, and bark
to keep plants warm in winter months. The archaeologists also found fragments of
planting pots, which means the plants housed here would have been potted. </p>

The boarded up portion of the structure is where
the south-facing windows once were. When originally constructed, the door to
the greenhouse was in the middle of the south wall. During the 20th
century, the structure was converted into a garage by opening up the east wall
and removing the door on the south, carrying the bricks across to make the
former door part of the south-facing windows.&nbsp; Along the south side, JRIA found different
types of colored glass, including variations of aqua and green, as well as
colorless. Colorless glass wasn’t introduced until the 1830’s but given that
American horticultural pursuits generally lagged behind those of Europeans, the
Battersea greenhouse likely had green or aqua glass when first constructed due
to iron impurities in glass materials. 

<p>In 2016, Warren Davies with Virginia
Masonry Restoration repaired a large vertical fissure in the greenhouse and did
extensive work to stabilize the structure. If not repaired soon, the greenhouse
could have further deteriorated and even collapsed. The fact that the
greenhouse has remained intact for almost 200 years is remarkable, making it
one of the oldest American greenhouses still in existence today. <br>





</p><div><div>

<p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[1]</a> As
opposed to lean-to style with a sloping wall of glass or glasshouse styles made
almost fully of glass, traditional style greenhouses had vertical windows and
were constructed with thick brick walls to keep in heat. </p>

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Greenhouses like this one were often found on the grounds of fashionable estates from the 17th to 19th centuries. They were used for growing fruit trees, flowering plants, and ferns during the winter, or for nutritional value and aesthetic purposes. The historic greenhouse was constructed between 1825 and 1835, probably by Judge John F. May, who owned the Battersea property during this period. It is an architectural gem and perhaps one of the earliest American greenhouses still in existence today. 


Battersea Greenhouse

As with most 18th and early 19th century homes, Battersea has an outdoor kitchen, which originally consisted of two rooms. This building was also used for laundry and servant or slave quarters, the west room being the kitchen, the east the laundry room, and the attic the servants’ quarters. In the 1840s, the Warings likely remodeled this building. During this process, the partition between the rooms was removed, double hung windows were added, and the chimney was rebuilt so that there were dual fireplaces on either side. Because the west fireplace was intentionally made larger than its east counterpart, it is believed the west side of the building was used for cooking and the east for laundry. Also during this time, two ladder stairs were placed on either side of the interior for servants and slaves to access the attic as sleeping quarters. In the late 19th century, the Wright family filled in both fireplaces so the east was made smaller and the west side completely bricked in to make way for a wood cooking stove in its place.

Battersea Kitchen

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<p><b>Garden</b></p>

<p><b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </b>To the front of Battersea, there
exists a level and spacious south lawn or terrace. Although no formal landscape
plans have been discovered, there are several written accounts from the
Banister to Wright periods (c. 1768-1905) suggesting this space was a garden. Furthermore,
an 1860 plat drawing of the property labels the south lawn as such and a 1971
map shows a grid-like pattern there, a feature also shown in LiDAR readings
done by James River Institute for Archaeology. These landmarks, in addition to
the level terrace itself and the nearby greenhouse are evidence that a formal
garden with straight walkways was once part of the Battersea estate.</p>



















<p><b>Pet Cemetery</b></p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Next to the Battersea home is a “cemetery” of
sorts complete with “headstones”. Battersea Foundation has had this area
scanned with Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) to see if there were human remains
buried there. Instead they found these markers to be the resting places of
family pets left by previous private owners of Battersea, an eclectic touch to
the already unique property.</p><p><b>Guinea House</b></p>

<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; To the west
of the house is a brick ruin dating from the 20th century. It is a
structure remolded into a hen house by the removal of the roof and addition of
“windows”. Its place near the house signifies the agricultural nature of the grounds.
The Foundation does not plan to restore this building, but does feel it
contributes to the Battersea story. </p><p><b>Goodwill House</b></p>

























<p>The tenant house or Goodwill Center served as such in the
early 20th century. Built between 1915 and 1932, it sits southeast
of the Battersea villa at the end of West High Street.</p><p>



















</p><p><b>Banister Mils</b></p>

<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Battersea
was built next to the Appomattox River for two reasons. One was for
agricultural use like irrigation and the availability of fertile soil. The
other was to exploit the power of the river by means of the Battersea Mills,
industrial mills along the Appomattox maintained by the Banister and May
families from c. 1768 to 1838. In 1838 two railroad lines were built between
Battersea and the river, thus closing off necessary foot and carriage traffic
from the mills to the main house and ending an era of industrial mill
entrepreneurship at Battersea.&nbsp; </p>





<p><br></p><br><p><b>&nbsp;</b></p></div><br><br><br><br><br><br>

Battersea overlooks a 37-acre property with several interesting features.  They include a long-lost garden on the south terrace of the lawn, a pet cemetery, a guinea house, tenant house, and the Banister Mills. In the 1867 Micheler map there are also four clearings shown where possible slaves’ quarters once stood, though no evidence of those quarters remains today. 

Battersea Walking Tour

Battersea

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information