Woodside - Filoli Estate

A day before the Superbowl (which occasioned Benjamin's visit), the entire Chessler family visited one of the largest mansions in the Bay Area, the Filoli manor. Unlike the Winchester House (see previous post) which is crazy weird and definitely haunted, Filoli is sensible and beautiful.

Fililo is just your simple 43-room country house, in the Georgian style, surrounded by a mere 650 acres. It was built in 1919 by an Irishman named Bourne whose family had made a fortune in goldmining, and had other lavish proprerties in San Francisco and Ireland.

The mansion has everything a gentleman farmer could want. The mandatory ballroom with grand piano, (because everyone needs a ballroom to entertain guests), three kitchens, a bank vault for the silver, a flower prep room, a dumb waiter, call buttons for the servants, and a room for the butler next to the kitchen.

In fact, during its heyday, it took 35 servants to run the place, most of whom lived on the estate. I learned the servants worked 14 hours a day, with only every other Sunday off. That's just wrong, but that's how it was a hundred years ago.

I intially thought the ballroom was painted with scenes of the California wilderness (a la John Muir) but it turns out these are scenes from the Bournes' Irish estate, painted after Bourne had a stroke and couldn't visit in person.

When we visited, the house was filled with orchids. Here you see the formal dining room table, completely covered.

But wait, there was more. No self-respecting 43-room mansion can also not have a garden room. Here you see said garden room just past the reflecting pool.

Inside, it was even better, with lots of fragrant paperwhites accenting the marble floors and large windows onto the garden. Because it turns out there are 16 acres of English Renaissance style gardens waiting for you beyond the garden room.

There are now 14 gardeners that maintain these grounds, and you can see why. The place is a riot of color as spring arrives, with everything in bloom. In February, the flowers of the season are daffodils and paperwhites, acres of them. Pots up and down steps and entryways, and then as you venture out into the grounds, a whole field of them.

You do have to reserve tickets in advance, but that is no problem in winter. The grounds include a cafe and garden shop, and in better weather, jazz concerts on the grounds.