Keswick Farm

Project Description

Keswick, Virginia

Located along the slopes of the Southwest Mountains in the Albemarle County Piedmont, the farm is characterized by mature hardwood forests, open fields, springs and stream courses, and hydric meadows.  The house and gardens were carefully sited along a small promontory ridge that serves as a connecting foundation and provides panoramic views of the immediate surroundings and distant views to the east.  Property zones transition ecologically from ponds and hydric meadows, to upland wildflower and native grass meadows, to pastures and vineyards, to preserved wooded mountain slopes. 

The house environs and garden spaces are tightly ordered and strongly defined to provide a heightened sense of enclosure and intimacy that contrasts sharply with the open character and expansiveness of the surrounding landscape.  Phase one design plans included a sinuous entrance drive, a conservation and wildlife pond, a spring house garden, and wetland meadow walks.