The oldest house on our property is seeing the advantage of much needed repairs this season. The Retire Beckett House (c. 1655) has a new door on the garden side. This door had seen service as entry to the garden patio from the Napoleon Room at the time there was a tea room in this space. The new door was fabricated and installed by Brian Payne, our talented employee. Minor sill repair and a new threshold were required at the gift shop entrance also. In the rear of the building, a new window sash and casement were installed, replacing one that was considerably deteriorated. The clapboards are seeing spot replacement as needed, and the entire rear is being scraped and painted. We hope to complete this ongoing work during the fall season. Elsewhere on the campus, there is sill repair and sheathing / clapboard replacement being performed on the café area of the visitor’s center.
The grounds also have never looked better as Bruce Campbell and Robyn Kanter and crew work endlessly to keep things well in bloom. The chestnut tree near the front door on The Gables has had the top removed, as there was much dead wood. This tree has for many decades been a prominent feature of The Gables site. It will unfortunately not see too many more seasons ahead. On the bright side, the chestnut tree planted a few years ago, (thanks to the generosity of our dear friend Paul Soucy) is growing well and lending its own aspect to our landscape. We welcome all of our friends to visit and find quaint respite here on our grounds.