Lochiel

This beautiful, perfectly proportioned Georgian revival house is known as Lochiel (low-HEEL). For correct pronunciation, say the “ch” like you’re trying to cough up a hair that is stuck in your throat. Lochiel is located near Gordonsville, Virginia on a 76 acre estate. It was designed by the New York architect Percy Griffin. The landscape design was produced by Charles Gillette of Richmond, VA. Mr. Gillette is responsible for many notable landscape designs in Virginia including Verulam (click here) and Tiverton (click here). Lochiel refers to a place in Scotland that was the home of the chieftain of the Cameron clan, whose descendants were responsible for building this house. The design of Lochiel is unique in that the house is only one room deep. This provided cross breezes and sunlight no matter the day or time.

Lochiel was commissioned by Flora Cameron, the daughter of Alexander Cameron, a Richmond tobacco products manufacturer. Flora had been living in the nearby Gaston Hall with her husband, George Zinn, but after they divorced in 1913, Flora built Lochiel on the grounds of the Cameron family estate. Flora and George were remarried in 1926 but George died three years later followed by their son and only child, George Jr., a year after that (plane crash). Fun fact about Flora: one of her uncles was the son of Confederate general Robert E. Lee. Flora lived until age 97 (64 of those years at Lochiel) passing away in 1980. Lochiel was sold for $750,000 in 1983 and since then has had a couple of owners. It appears that the present owners split their time between Virginia and the Virgin Islands (flying on Virgin Airways perhaps?). Lochiel is still a private home and is not open to the public.

Pictures courtesy of Orange County Historical Society and Dandridge Sterne