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Nemours, the former 300 acre estate of Alfred I. Du Pont, is named after the Du Pont ancestral home in north central France.
The Mansion is an excellent example of modified Louis XVI French château. It was designed by Carrere and Hastings of New York City and was built between 1909 and 1910 by Smyth and Son of Wilmington, Delaware. The mansion has 102 rooms and is furnished, as you would expect, with fine period antiques, rare oriental rugs, tapestries and paintings dating back as far as the 15th century.
The gardens, their design influenced by Mr. DuPont's many trips to Europe, are beautifully landscaped and include a working carillon tower, natural woodlands and extensive formal French gardens.
Guided tours are the only way guests are able to see the house and grounds. Tours take a minimum of two hours and include rooms on three floors followed by a bus tour of the gardens. The tours are excellent and the tour guides are very knowledgeable about the home, its furnishings and the life of the DuPonts. You will see what it was like to live on a grand scale at the beginning of the 20th century, including the estate's billiard room and bowling alley, and necessities like the ice-making and bottling rooms.
Nemours Mansion & Gardens has completed a $39,000,000 restoration and re-opened the gates to its majestic landscape on May 1st, 2008. This mammoth reconstruction was done over a three year period utilizing world-class conservators and craftspeople who worked on excavations, landscaped the formal gardens, drained and repaired the 800,000 gallon reflecting pool, replaced electrical systems, and refurbished statues, paintings, furniture and tapestries. As a result of the restoration, interest in visiting the mansion and gardens is very high.
Reservations can be made by phone (302) 651-6912 or by e-mail. Be sure to give the reservation office two alternative dates, a day time telephone number (for confirmation), and your zip code. The reservation office is closed on weekends so messages left on the weekend will not be answered until the following Monday.
Nemours Mansion & Gardens Rockland Rd. between Children's Drive & Rt. 202 Wilmington, DE 302.651.6912 www.nemoursmansion.org
