Milford chronicle., 1932-09-09
INTERESTING FEATURES OF
"NEMOURS" - ESTATE OF
ALFRED IRENEE DUPONT

b; take place on Saturday and Sunday
September 1918, from IL a. m. to
p. m. daylight Saving Time) for the
benefit of StratfOrd Hall, is an even
of state wide interest in Delaware
and also in the neighboring states
; of Maryland, Pennsylvania and New
: Jersey.
Announcement of this event to-
| gether with a brief description OF
; the gardens will be broadcast by
Hon. John Garland Pollard, Governor
J of Virginia, on Tuesday, September
1S, from 4:45 to 500 p. m, Eastern
Daylight Saving Time, on WIZ and
network, National Broadcasting Co.
In view of the fact that Mrs. Alfred
l. dupont is a Virginian-a descend
ant of the distinguished Ball fam
ily-certain associative features of
Virginia's "Epping Forest, birth
place of Mary Ball, mother of Wash
ingtOn, with 'Nemours" will be ac-
centuated by Governor Pollard in his
talk.
"Nemours" offers a striking ex-
ample of French 18th century house
and landscape architecture and the
various objects dart and other fea-
lures of the house and gardens gath
cred during the past two decades by
Mr.. DUPONT in his various trips
abroad add greatly to the historic
interest and beauty Of the estate,
The house is in the style of a
French chateau of Louis XVI period
and the vast gardens surrounding it
with their majestic terraces, allees,
long vistas looking into the far hills,
fields and woods between Nemours
and Wilmington-the statuary, balus-
trades, vases, fountains, pools, cas-
cades and the luXuriant and well or
dered lanting-suggest the genius
of the creator of Versailles, Andre lie
Notre.
The grand staircases which curve
down from the Colonnade Terrace to
the Sunken Garden are an achieve
ment in design that is equaled no.
where in America. The Sunken
Garden of 'Nemours", which is it's
most recently completed feature, is
the work of Massena and dupont of
Wilmington-the latter member of
the firm being Alfred Victor DUPONT,
son of Alfred Irenee DUPONT. The
chateau, colonnade and the gardens
between were executed by Carrerre
and Hastings, architects of the New
York Public Library.
Among the rare Objets dart at
"Nemours" are the two White Marble
Sphinxes on the Front Terrace, pre-
sented by Louis XIV of France to
Jean Baptiste Colbert about 1869. !
The Catherine II Gates, located on
the Southern end of the Front Gar |
den Terrace are the work of Jean |
THOU, the greatest French iron work.
er France ever produced and made |
by him under order from the Rus
sian Empress about 1855. These
gates and the one at Hampton Court |
Palace in England are considered
his finest work.
The Gates from Wimbledon Man
or, England, are another feature of
especial historic interest. They are
on the northern end of the Front
Terrace and constitute the Main En-
trance from the Forecourt.
The two pairs of Old Marble Vases
on the Colonnade Terrace, as well
as one pair in the Fountain at the
north end of the Forecourt, original
ly belonged to the Hapsburg family
and were in the gardens of one of
their Summer Palaces. They were
badly broken during the late Aus
-Iian Revolution but were secured
and brought to this country and re-
very few of the pieces
being lost. Four White Marble Foun-
ain Groups which surround the
main basin of the pool, are the work
II Henri Crenier, a French Sculptor,
Is is the Fountain Group designated
located between the
Main Lake or Pool and the Colon
lade. The four iron groups, the
Two Dogs and Two Deer, in differ
mt parts of the garden, are the
work. of the French Sculptor, Jean
lie Sommevoir, some of which have
aiken prizes at the Paris Salon.
The sculpture work of the Sunken
Harden is the work of the French
sculptor Sarrabezolles. The Car {
ara Marble came from Italy, the q
utting being done in France. The
Bronze Statue at the south end of '
he Southern Garden, entitled "Ten- '
resse" is the work of G. Loiseau
'ailly. This took one of the first !
rizes at the Paris Salon of 1912. /
he two marble busts at the north
nd of the Southern Garden, repre- =
ent Turgot and Talleyrand.
A note of American history, close ii
2 linked with the DUPONT Powder
ompany is added by the cast iron s
annon at the intersection of the A
lain Driveway and the Colonnade Il
Dad. These were formerly por- =
on of the spar deck battery of the :
rigate Constitution" When the II
Id Frigate was recently rebuilt, it
as decided to restore it to the same
)ndition in which she was launch
|; as the spar deck battery was
lded several years subsequent to
er launching, they were not in
uded in the armament of the ship.
Within an arrows flight of the
emple of Love there is a small tri-
lgular stone at the foot of soli- h
dy pine carved with the initials of
young British soldier who was
Iried here during the American
evolution. The man, wounded at
e Battle of the Brandywine, was H
ing transported with other wound Z
to Philadelphia. The road passed ;
rough the present 'Nemours" S
operty, and, as the soldier died on {
q NAV he was huried On this site 3