{"product_id":"the-story-of-keswick-hall","title":"The Story of Keswick Hall","description":"\u003cp\u003eAt the center of The Story of Keswick Hall is a gorgeous  8000-square-foot  Italianate structure in Keswick  Virginia  prime countryside just outside Charlottesville. Known for decades as the Villa Crawford  the great house today is known as Keswick Hall and is one of the signature destinations in the worldwide Orient-Express portfolio. But if the old palace under the trees is beaming with fame and elegance today  that wasnt always so  and its troubled story is what drives this wonderful new book  poised to become a must-have for enthusiasts of history and an ideal recommendation for libraries and book clubs. With some measure of obsessive fascination  Castelli has captured a story of hope  dissolution  madness  and even murder. As with any gothic novel  the main character is the house itself  and Castellis tale begins in 1912 with the construction of the mansion itself  a private home for 35 years. For decades  various owners tried to transform it into a country club  with flickering success. Owners  friends  locals  investors  and movie stars came in all its colorful seasons  including Elizabeth Taylor while filming Giant  when the country club was a sporty grandee  or Alan Alda while filming The Four Seasons  when the club was a senile ruin. Castelli  working with an eye for the finest point  traces the Villa Crawford in its slow descent into poignant abandonment. In the early 1990s  just when the place was about to meet the bulldozers  Sir Bernard Ashley resurrected the club  doubled it in size  and set it on the world stage where it remains today. Illustrated with photographs  menus  tickets  movie publicity shots  and filled with the oral histories of those who feted one another beneath the chandeliers  this is one of those rare books whose unfolding story lines of grandeur and ruin are compelling reading. Anyone who loves history  families  rise  fall  and resurrection will enjoy this book personally  and as an ideal gift. -- Avery Chenoweth\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44965264031797,"sku":"ByrdShop_0615444695","price":62.31,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780615444697.jpg?v=1770491340","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-story-of-keswick-hall","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}