Newport Mansions – The Perfect Tours for Downton Abbey Fans

If you’re a fan of the British TV series and recent movie, Downton Abbey, written by Julian Fellowes, you won’t want to miss touring the Newport Mansions in Rhode Island. In fact, you’ll find some interesting ties between the Guilded Age Newport culture in America and the Crawley household.

2020 Tip: If you’d like to visit the Newport Mansions, but can’t get there during these unusual times, check out these virtual tours of The Elms, Marble House, Hunter House, and Isaac Bell House.

Each tour of the Newport Mansions provides a unique glimpse into life in the late 19th and early 20th century Gilded Age. It was an age when the wealth gap was possibly as severe as it was at Downton Abbey or today and more glaring. Let’s look at the stories behind just one of these opulent estates. We’ll take a stroll through The Elms mansion in my post today. Then take the guided “Servant Life” Tour in my next post to paint a picture of the intersecting, yet contrasting lives of privileged families and those who served them, just like Downton Abbey.

Building The Elms

The Elms is an unapologetically lavish 50-room, 31,000+ square foot house. It’s the 3rd largest of the Newport mansions (or “summer cottages” as they were referred to by their wealthy owners). From the street, the Elms appears to be two stories. Hidden behind the parapets that crown the exterior is the 3rd floor for staff housing. A 2-level basement houses the kitchen, boiler room, laundry and other support services for the house.

Edward and Herminie Berwind designed their home as an enlarged version of the French “Château d’Asnières” and completed it in 1901. They considered buying the inspirational chateau in France in 1898 but decided to buy only its statues and sculptures instead. These were integrated into the estate and gardens of their “cottage” in Rhode Island. The 14 acres of manicured gardens were considered some of the most spectacular in Newport, but the Elms was still considered to be on the “wrong side” of Bellevue Avenue because it lacked an ocean view,

Downton Abbey Connection – Highclere Castle, the real setting of the fictitious Downton Abbey, was also designed in the same style as another structure. Although this time, it was a smaller version of the British House of Parliament. The Elms mansion was completed in 1901, and the latest version of the British castle was completed in 1838. Highclere is also more than 3 times the size of The Elms “Cottage” coming in at roughly 100,000 square feet with 300 rooms, set on 1000 park-like acres.

Inside the Mansion

The grand entry and marble double staircase were reserved for the family and guests. Household staff was rarely seen on the main stairs unless they were cleaning it and that would have been done as discreetly as possible and preferably when the family was away. The staff made their way between the four floors by way of a back stairway (that we’ll see in the next post).

As lovers of the Arts, the Berwind’s furnished their home with a golden grand piano, along with their collections of 18th century French and Venetian paintings, intricate tapestries, Renaissance ceramics, Oriental jades and so much more.

The Berwind Family

The wealth of Edward Berwind (1848-1936) was amassed in the coal industry in the late 1800s and considered “new money”, being snubbed by many among New York’s elite. He was the son of middle-class German immigrants in Philadelphia. His father was an artisan, a guitar-maker, who cultivated Edward’s love of music and the Arts.

Downton Abbey Connection – Countess of Grantham, Cora Crawley’s mother, Martha Levinson (played by Shirley MacLaine), was also born in the 1840s or 50s and considered to be from “new money”. Her deceased husband, Isidore made his fortune as a dry goods merchant in Cincinnati. Martha owned a home in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island, as the Bernwind’s did. The “old money” elite crowd was not welcoming to her either.

Mrs. Berwind – Sarah Vesta “Herminie” Torrey (1856-1922) was born in Tuscany, Italy to American parents. Franklin, her father, was a celebrated sculptor and junior partner in a company recognized as owning the largest marble business in America, importing Cararra marble from Italy. Her love of the Arts was no doubt, inherited from her father and I suspect much of the marble in The Elms came through connections with his company.

Edward and Herminie had no children but welcomed their nieces often and ultimately left the estate to Edward’s unmarried sister, Julia Berwind who kept traditions alive until the 1960s.

Life for the Family “Upstairs”

The Berwinds spent their summers in Newport, much like other wealthy families from New York City. The goal was to see and be seen. Sailing, entertaining, networking and relaxing were primary activities…as much as anyone can relax in the restrictive attire of the day. The house was completed at the turn of the century and women were expected to wear high collars, long sleeves, corsets, floor-length skirts, and hats. There was an outfit for every occasion and activity – breakfast, lunch, dinner, tennis, boating, tea, bicycling or touring in their motorcars. With no air conditioning, it’s no wonder they changed clothes 4 or 5 times a day.

When The Elms opened in the summer of 1901, the Berwinds threw a housewarming party to celebrate and show off their accomplishments to their neighbors, including the Vanderbilts, and Astors. Four hundred high society guests were treated to over-the-top decor – fresh roses covered every corner of the interior, live music played inside and out, and lavish cuisine was served. Precocious monkeys amused the guests in the garden. Many of which were found swinging around Newport for several days afterward.

Modern Conveniences

Downton Abbey Connection – just as Lady Mary could summon Anna to help her dress by using a bell pull, the Berwinds called any of their 16 inside staff through an annunciator like the one you see below. This is in one of the family bathrooms and has buttons for several of the servant areas, as well as the ability to have a conversation with the staff. This saved time and steps. Wealthy families primarily used phones to call staff within the household. It would have been considered poor taste to call a friend on the telephone.

Some of the Newport mansions built before 1900 were illuminated with gas lights, or electricity with gas as a backup since the new form of power was unreliable. The Elms was so modern and technologically advanced that it was wired for electricity from the beginning. To some, it appeared to work “as if by magic”. Large windows and skylights were also incorporated in the design to bring in more light since light bulbs weren’t as powerful as what we use today,

The Palm Court Conservatory is filled with floor to ceiling marble. Tall glass doors can be opened to create cross-ventilation. The cool marble and coastal breezes made this a favorite room for lounging on the hottest days of summer.

Seven family and guest bedrooms are on the second floor. Nearly every bedroom is attached to a spacious private bathroom.

The Ultimate Downton Abbey Connection

Did you know that there are credible reports that Julian Fellowes is in the process of writing and producing an American series about The Gilded Age? In fact, there are rumors that he visited the Newport mansions for research. It’s also quite possible that he was scouting locations for the upcoming series.

The “Gilded Age” will begin in New York City in the 1880s and continue through the turn of the century. Since some of its characters belong to the Gilded Age elite, they will quite possibly be summering in Newport. I expect that Mr. Fellowes will continue exploring the complex relationships between upstairs and downstairs, as well as the income disparities that were prevalent during that time.

In my next post, you can get a glimpse into the lives of the 40 staff members in The Elms household. We’ll look at a bit of contrast between American and British servants too.

Newport Mansions Tour Basics

The Preservation Society of Newport County is a private non-profit organization dedicated to historic preservation. This dedicated group oversees eleven different properties built between 1748 (Hunter House) and 1902 (Rosecliff), with most of the homes being from the mid-to-late 1800s.

Some of the homes are closed in the winter. The ones that are open are decorated for Christmas beginning November 23, 2019 through January 1, 2020. There’s a variety of ticket packages that allow you to choose the number of mansions you’d like to visit. You can also add specialty tours. You’ll find food service options at a few of the homes as well. Find everything you need to know on the Newport Mansions Preservation Society website here.

Volunteer With the Preservation Society

Do you live in or near Newport, Rhode Island? If so, consider volunteering at the Mansions, for special events or in other support roles. The Preservation Society enlists volunteers for many activities. Tasks like holiday decorating, gardening, mansion staff, special event photographers, plus administrative and I.T. support. Find out more here.

Where to Stay

We visited the quaint and historic Vanderbilt Hotel on our Foodie Walking Tour in Newport, which I’ll write about later. In the meantime, you can find out more about the wonderful B & Bs and Boutique hotels in the Newport area by searching below.

Booking.com

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Tags: American History, Coastal New England, Downton Abbey, Edward Berwind, featured, Gilded Age, Herminie Berwind, Industrial Revolution, Julian Fellowes, Mansion Tour, New England, Newport, Newport Cottages, Newport Mansions, Newport Rhode Island, Rhode Island, Servant Life, Summer cottages, The Elms, The Elms Mansion, Upstairs Downstairs

Category: New England States, United States