HISTORY OF THE CARRIAGE HOUSE INN

Located in historic Daniels Hill this 1878 Italianate mansion has been authentically restored to its original grandeur. As you drive through the brick and iron front gate imagine visitors exiting their horse-drawn carriages under the porte-cohere, being welcomed in the grand foyer, and entertained in the formal front parlor.

Not only is this home the largest and finest Italianate mansion in the Daniels Hill Historic District it is the largest Italianate home in the city of Lynchburg. In the spring of 1875, Richard Thomas Watts purchased the two lots on Daniels Hill for the sum of $2,150.00, onto which he erected his residence which took more than two years to construct.

The original main brick mass of the house was trimmed with three frame polygonal bay windows and with two small porches adorning the Cabell Street facade. Six outbuildings dotted the property, with two large frame structures fronting D Street. By 1902, two of the small outbuildings had been demolished, and one of the buildings on D Street was identified as a carriage house. More significantly, the Cabell Street facade of the main house had been renovated, and the Queen Anne porch features that can be seen on the house today had been added.

This fine home is of the Italianate style as it resembles a Renaissance villa appropriate for a residence in a city. Predominately a rectangle both exterior and interior walls are constructed of three courses of brick. A compact, symmetrical floor plan features a sweeping staircase in the entry foyer. Rounded romanesque arches frame windows and doors. Pediments, scrolled brackets, pilasters, overhanging eaves, and pillars were common on Italianate homes. Queen Victoria adopted this style of home for her residence on the Isle of Wright-Osborne House.