Loch Aerie
Sun, Mar 29, 2009
Gothic Revival, Historic Property Tours, Italianate, Victorian
Loch Aerie, AKA Glen-Loch, AKA Lockwood Mansion was built in 1865 by William E. Lockwood, esq., a Philadelphia businessman, in Chester County Pennsylvania. It was designed by famed architect Addison Hutton with landscape design by Charles Miller, the Fairmount Park landscape designer. The design is described in the 1958 Historic American Buildings Survey as being of Italianate Design with Victorian Gothic details.
At the time, it was one of the largest estates in all of Pennsylvania and was comprised of 684 acres. It was so large that it had 4 railroad stations on the property.
The Pennsylvania blue marble and blue limestone was quarried directly on the estate. Water to the home traveled from a distant spring 2600 feet away and was capable of supplying 12,400 gallons in a 24 hour period.
By 1877, the home had a telephone so that Mr. Lockwood could call for assistance in case any “burglers or tramps” were on his property. He was so concerned about safety that the all the doors and windows were wired with a burglar alarm.
Lockwood wanted to become a “Country Farmer” and built the home 25 miles from the city of Philadelphia, where his business, W. E. & E. Dunbar Lockwood, manufacturers of patent folding boxes, envelopes, tags, etc., was located.
After 20 years of driving by this old home, I finally got my chance at a tour which you can view in the video below. Stay tuned for the video tour of the basement in the weeks ahead.
You can watch the tour via the video below or watch in the recommended method – full-screen high-definition by clicking here and once there, click on the four arrows in the lower right to expand to full screen.
Once you have viewed the tour, don’t forget to view the HABS documentation on Loch Aerie below and visit here if you would like to receive email updates when new tours are added to the site.
Video Tour:
Loch Aerie Mansion Tour from Old House Tours on Vimeo.
Photo Tour:
For more information, take a look at the Historic American Buildings survey on the home performed in 1958:
Tags: Frazer, Gothic, historic, home, house, Italianate, Loch Aerie, Lockwood, mansion, PA, stone, tour, Video
Wow, that is a great house. Too bad it hasn’t aged very well (or maybe a lack of money to take care of it). Still a great house though, despite the home depot next door.
Thanks so much for the video, it is so neat to be able to see the inside and hear the history of the property.
Thank you for taking this video. What wonderful house and what a shame that there’s Home Depot so close. Who authorizes things like that?! No respect for history and the efforts of our forefathers!
Hello Thanks for the tour you did on this house. I have some personal pictures of this house from when I was a kid. My grandmother lived here at one time with the owner. I think his name was Tony. I know that he owned it for years and now wonder what happen to him? I have pictures of the inside at Christmas time and I think there is one of My brother and I outside playing in the yard in the snow. It is a shame that the lake is gone and home depot moved in next door.
Great video! thank you so much. I have lived in the area and always wanted to know what it looked like inside. Unfort I go to that home depot often but always wondered what it used to look like. The history behind it is fab! I went to high school with someone that lived there for a few months back in the late 80’s. Thanks again!!