This year, the Leesburg Garden Club and Fauquier-Loudoun Garden Club will be hosting Historic Garden Week in Leesburg’s old town region on Sunday, April 24 from 1-5 pm and Monday April 25, 10 am-5 pm. This year’s tour is especially exciting as many private homes will open their doors to visitors for the first time since 2020. With so much to see, we’ve broken down the Leesburg walking tour for you, which begins at St. James Episcopal Church and ends on Cornwall St. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at https://www.vagardenweek.org/tours/leesburg/.
St. James’ Episcopal Church -- 14 Cornwall Street, NW
St. James was built in 1897 by DC architect Leon E. Dessez. The church is a Richardsonian Romanesque structure and includes a sanctuary illuminated by two signed Tiffany windows, in addition to several windows built by the Heaton Firm. The building was damaged by fire in 1929 and was rebuilt in 1931, according to its original design. The grounds include a variety of exotic and native trees.
21 Wirt Street, NW
This 1894 home is an excellent example of a Queen Anne-style house that has been modernized over the years. The home features multiple porches, unique interior décor, and a blending of old and new furniture and art. The gardens are filled with abundant spring bulbs and perennials, including mature tree peonies and weigelia. Mature American boxwood and viburnum frames the rear yard, creating a hedge for privacy. The site features flowering fruit trees, a vegetable garden, a small fishpond garden, statues, and beautiful arbors.
209 Cornwall Street, NW
The Colonial Revival home, designed by Joanne Tiffany, was built in 1950. The property was previously owned by the Harrison family, who were active with the Garden Club of Virginia and other local organizations. The current owners completed an extensive renovation in 2015. The half-acre lot features Japanese holly, Chinese snowball viburnum and climbing roses. Two Japanese lilac trees provide fragrant blooms and shade on the rear patio. A row of 165-year-old boxwoods anchors the back of the property. Dogwoods, Amelanchier, hellebores, daffodils, and tulips are just a few springtime blooms featured on the property.
211 Cornwall Street, NW (Garden Only)
211 Cornwall is a Federal-style home, with the original 2-1/2 story brick section constructed in 1788. The yard is organized in four distinct areas which are marked by small ornamental trees, boxwoods, and yew hedges. The side yard is framed with hellebores, star magnolia, dogwoods, and hydrangeas. The central formal garden, surrounding the focal sculpture of Diana the Huntress, follows a tranquil white and green color palette with peonies, hydrangea, white lavender, and roses.
215 Cornwall Street, NW
215 Cornwall is a federal-style brick home built in 1824. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the home underwent several expansions to include a dining room connecting the main house to the kitchen, a wing with a family room and bedrooms, and a guest cottage at the rear of the 3/4-acre property. The current owners converted a rear porch into a breakfast room adjacent to the original kitchen and restored the brick patio designed by acclaimed landscape architect M. Meade Palmer. The gardens include boxwood, spring bulbs, and flowering trees.
Other Places of Interest
The Leesburg garden tour will take place near some of the best shops, restaurants, and art galleries our town has to offer. Be sure to check out Global Local on 103 Loudoun Street Southwest, which features a variety of fair-trade products and local artisan-made goods to find the perfect keepsake. If you need a break from walking, stop by Trinity House Café on 101 E. Market Street, a lovely café and market occupying the George Head House, a late 18th century Federal-style home listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Here are a few more landmarks which have been maintained by the Garden Club of Virginia over the years:
Oatlands Plantation and Gardens – 5.5 miles south of Leesburg on Rt.15.
This Greek Revival mansion was built around 1805 and once the center of a thriving 3,400-acre plantation. It includes terraced gardens, a portion of which was restored by the Garden Club of Virginia with funding from Historic Garden Week tours.
George C. Marshall International Center – 217 Edwards Ferry Rd.
Formerly called Dodona Manor, this was the home of General George C. Marshall and his wife, Katherine. He was the architect of the European Recovery Plan and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953. The 3.8 acres of grounds and gardens were restored with support from the Garden Club of Virginia. The property is on the Virginia Landmarks Register and is designated a National Historic Landmark.
Leesburg Garden Club Centennial Tree Walk at Ida Lee Park – 60 Ida Lee Dr., NW.
A native tree walk was installed by the Leesburg Garden Club in honor of its 100-year anniversary. The walk begins behind the Rust Library and follows Old Waterford Road to the northwest end of the park.
