Like the namesake beverage, Ditchley Cider Works as a property is an interesting blend. Made up of one-part historical property and one-part heritage farming and production, the resulting concoction is both warming and enticing. It is also the product of using history to build something entirely new.
OF HISTORICAL GROUNDS AND STORIED FAMILIES
The first plantation house was built circa 1688 by Hancock Lee and his wife, Mary. Lee inherited the surrounding 600 acres on Dividing Creek from his father, Colonel Richard Lee, who came to Virginia in 1639 and became known as “the Founder,” since he was the first of what would become the prominent Lee family in Virginia. The family would go on to include signers of the Declaration of Independence, President Zachary Taylor (his grandmother was a Lee), and General Robert E. Lee, just to name a few.
Hancock’s son, Richard Lee, later inherited the estate and is said to have given the plantation the name Ditchley under the mistaken belief that his family was connected to a Lee family who lived on the Ditchley Park estate back in England.
The next generation, Kendall Lee, came into the estate and built the central portion of the current manor house around 1752. His son, William Lee, sold the estate in 1789, and Ditchley became the home of yet another prominent local family.
Colonel James Ball III had connections to both the Ball and Lee families as his mother, Letitia, was Kendall Lee’s sister. The Balls served in the House of Burgesses and also had a connection with the Washingtons, most notably to George Washington, through his mother, Mary Ball.
During the Ball family ownership, a one-story wing was added to the southern end of the home for a bedroom sometime in the 1850s. The Balls would hold onto the property until 1920, when a Lee descendant, Cora Lee Carter Keane, bought the property. She would hold onto Ditchley for nearly a decade before the estate would revert to the Balls and yet another prominent family.
Keane sold the property in 1929 to Alfred and Jessie Ball duPont. Alfred duPont was from one of the richest families in America at the time, and Jessie Ball had grown up in Northumberland County. Acquiring Ditchley meant maintaining a meaningful family tie to the area for her. One of the many changes to the property during their ownership was the addition of a wing onto the north side of the home, which they used for a kitchen
and butler’s pantry. They also added a caretaker’s home nearby, which mimics the architectural style of the original manor house. While the duPonts spent considerable resources on the upkeep of the home and property, they spent little time there.
After her death in 1970, the Jessie Ball duPont Fund maintained Ditchley until it was bought by the current owners, Cathy Calhoun and her husband Paul Grosklags, in 2014. The property includes the original estate home, the caretaker’s house, a Sears catalog beach house, and roughly 160 surrounding acres.
Both former Naval officers, Calhoun and Grosklags have chosen an unusual way to spend their retirement. It was Calhoun’s idea for the cidery as something to do once Grosklags retired as Vice Admiral from the Navy. “It was either sell everything and move out west and be ski bums or find a project big enough to keep us occupied.” With the Ditchley project, “I think we’ve over-excelled,” Calhoun said with a laugh.
KEEPING WITH THE HERITAGE OF FARMING
When you arrive on the property, the first thing you see is one of the apple orchards for the property’s namesake beverage. They grow 48 different varieties of apples for producing their hard ciders, which are produced on-site.
It seems only appropriate that Ditchley have its own hard cider, given the importance the drink has had to the American Colonies. At one time, it was the most common beverage, given that safe drinking water was not always readily available. Many colonists had their own apple trees and fermenting the juice was the easiest way to preserve the harvest. Cider was so common that at one time taxes and wages were paid in cider.
Hard cider is not the only thing produced on the property, which has been continually farmed since 1687. Heritage breed hogs and cows roam the pastoral landscape much like they would have hundreds of years ago. The hogs clear land for future orchards, and the cows keep all the pastures mowed. The animals not only help manage the land, they provide healthy cuts of meat, such as sausage, chops, roasts and more, which are available to members of their meat club. Ducks, geese and turkeys are also part of the sustainable farm, providing chemical-free pest control and a steady supply of eggs and meat.
A TIMELESS SPACE TO EAT, DRINK AND BE MARRIED
While Calhoun and Grosklags work hard to keep the tradition of traditional farming alive, experiencing the natural beauty of the property as a destination for weddings is a decidedly modern touch to the property, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Though the property was virtually abandoned in the decades after Ball duPont’s death, the couple has worked hard to restore the main house to its former glory. Many of the original, or close to original, historical elements remain, and the rich architectural elements provide an elegant backdrop to photographs or any indoor event.
Modern amenities like air conditioning and Wi-fi also make the main house a comfortable location for wedding parties. With three bedrooms and four bathrooms that can accommodate six to eight people, the bride, groom, and attendants can comfortably gather and get ready before the ceremony.
Next door, the caretaker’s home can also accommodate eight to twelve guests comfortably in its four bedrooms and three bathrooms. The tasting room, also located in the home, is a wonderful setting for rehearsal and send-off celebrations before and after the big day.
Just outside the doors of the home, the property provides a serene, natural setting for ceremonies and celebrations. An expansive lawn and large, old growth trees provide comfortable places for guests to gather. Ample parking, just a short walk away, is another modern amenity that makes the historical property convenient for larger parties.
IF THE WALLS COULD TALK
For more than 300 years, Ditchley has represented a strong tie to family, tradition, and history, with many Lees and Balls having lived and celebrated on its grounds. The “modern” Ditchley is now opening its gates and inviting all to enjoy its stately architecture and natural beauty, for new families to write their own stories on this enduring piece of land.
To learn more about Ditchley, including the farm and products, visit the site: ditchleyciderworks.com.