Former glory of historic Hayfield Manor is restored

Situated on the southern bank of the Rappahannock River in Virginia, the Hayfield Manor has a history dating back to the 1700s, and has provided shelter for many owners. From the Bataille family from the county of Essex in England and then the Taylors from Cumberland on the Scottish border of the UK to the Reinhold family more recently, the manor has a rich history. Over the past several years however, the vacant house had suffered the wrath of Mother Nature and vandalism. These two unfortunate forces had left the manor in a state of disrepair but since the house is a historic treasure to the local community, something had to be done to prevent further deterioration and vandalism.

With the leadership and dedication of the Mid Atlantic Region’s John Ellis and Don Delano (pictured left), the team managed the restoration of the manor with the help of local craftspeople and college historians over a period of just 12 months. Roy Fenn, the Group Chaplain based in the UK, was consultant historian for the renovation project and with the support of John Ellis has published a book summarizing the history of Hayfield, entitled “This very desirable Estate.”

A rededication ceremony was conducted in the Spring of 2007, with over 100 guests in attendance for the consecration and official opening of the new Hayfield Manor, including customers, craftsmen and women who had worked on the project, employees, and former owners, including the Batailles and Reinholds. The Group Chaplain Roy Fenn conducted the service of consecration, with Mrs. Bolsover, the wife of Group Chief Executive Bill Bolsover, leading a ceremonial procession, symbolizing the new life of the house by placing of Spring flowers on a table in the dining room. Mrs. Bolsover also unveiled a plaque commemorating the official opening of the house, and a string quartet played the American and British National Anthems at the end of the service. The assembled guests were then invited to tour the house and grounds before enjoying a “Southern-Style” barbeque.

Bill Bolsover, Pat Groff, Don Delano and Judge Reinhold officially thanked those who had worked on the restoration and had had the vision to preserve this magnificent property, which has survived many historic events and had seen visits by Civil War Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson.

Pat Groff, Mid Atlantic Region President said now that the house has been restored, Aggregate Industries will remain committed to maintaining the Manor and to sharing it with the community. Since the dedication, Carol Deihl has joined Aggregate Industries as Curator of the Manor. Carol has a degree in Historic Preservation from the University of Mary Washington and will be managing events, tours and our ongoing community engagement program.

Hayfield Manor is now once again, a very desirable estate, and will remain so for many, many years to come.