Peace and Plenty at Bollingbrook

Jill Adler
Nov 25, 2025
7 min read

Updated: Dec 14, 2025

A Rare Opportunity to Own a Cornerstone of Virginia Hunt Country

There are properties that come to market, and then there are properties that define a landscape. Peace and Plenty at Bollingbrook belongs to the latter category—a 365-acre estate in Upperville that traces its lineage to the very origins of Virginia Hunt Country. Now offered at $11,200,000, this is not simply a home for sale. It is an invitation to become the steward of nearly three centuries of American history.

For those of us who have spent our lives in western Loudoun and Fauquier counties, properties like Peace and Plenty represent the soul of this region. They are the reason stone walls still line our roads, why hounds still run across open fields each autumn, and why the Blue Ridge views from Route 50 remain unobstructed by development. This estate, preserved in perpetuity through the Land Trust of Virginia, embodies the conservation ethic that has protected Hunt Country for generations.

A Provenance Like No Other

The story of Peace and Plenty begins in 1731, when Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, granted a 9,600-acre land patent in what would become the heart of the Virginia Piedmont. Lord Fairfax was no absentee landlord—he was the only British peer to make colonial America his permanent home, and his influence on this region cannot be overstated. It was Fairfax who introduced the sport of fox hunting to Virginia's colonial elite, forever shaping the equestrian culture that defines this area today.

From that original patent, 790 acres were carved out in 1809 as a wedding present, and the first structure at Bollingbrook was built—a modest four-room Federal brick house. Twenty-one years later, Robert Bolling transformed the property into something far grander. His 1830 expansion added twenty-one rooms in the ornate Jeffersonian style that had captivated Virginia's architectural imagination. The result was a manor house with fifteen-foot ceilings, hand-blown glass windows, intricate cornices, Corinthian columns, and a glorious central staircase. The original white oak floors, decorative hardware, and fireplace mantels survive to this day.

What makes Peace and Plenty exceptional among historic Virginia estates is the remarkable survival of its original outbuildings. All seventeen structures remain intact: the Manor House, Pool House, Guest Cottage, Gate House, Chapel, Overseer's House, a twelve-stall barn, the Old Silo barn (believed to be the oldest in-ground silo in Virginia), the Cannery, Scale House, Blacksmith Shop, Wood Shed, Schoolhouse, Smokehouse, Summer Kitchen, Barn Apartment, and Hilleary House. Together, they form a complete picture of plantation-era life rarely seen outside of museum villages.

The Manor House

Entering Peace and Plenty today, one steps into four generous entertaining rooms that set the tone for the entire residence: a Music Room, Living Room, Meeting Room, and Library. These spaces were designed for the kind of gracious hospitality that remains central to Hunt Country culture—hunt breakfasts, charity benefits, and gatherings of friends and family that can number in the dozens.

The expansive Dining Room can accommodate two dozen guests with ease—a testament to an era when entertaining was both an art and an obligation. The Primary Suite occupies a privileged position with an adjoining sitting room that opens onto a deck sunroom and wraparound balcony. The suite's bath leads to a remarkable closet measuring twenty-seven by eighteen feet. Two additional luxurious bedrooms, each with fireplaces and private baths, complete the private quarters. A back staircase, full basement, three-car garage, and a mudroom entry to the kitchen with enclosed porch provide the practical infrastructure that makes a property of this scale livable.

The kitchen at Peace and Plenty: glass-front cabinetry rises to the ceiling, a professional range sits beneath a custom stainless hood, and black-and-white hexagonal tile anchors a space designed for both intimate family meals and large-scale entertaining.

The Grounds and Conservation Legacy

Beyond the manor house, 365 acres of pristinely manicured grounds unfold toward the Blue Ridge Mountains. A saltwater pool with a wide lounging ledge is flanked by the Pool House and offers what may be the most spectacular sunset views in Fauquier County. The grounds feature a notable botanical treasure: a 250-year-old Cedar of Lebanon, reportedly the largest specimen in Virginia.

Critically, Peace and Plenty is preserved in easement with the Land Trust of Virginia—a designation that ensures this landscape will never be subdivided or developed. For buyers who understand that owning land in Hunt Country means accepting responsibility for its future, this easement is not a restriction but a privilege. Virginia's Land Preservation Tax Credits, the most generous in the nation at forty percent of easement value, reflect the Commonwealth's commitment to protecting properties like this one.

The property lies within the territory of the Piedmont Hunt, the oldest organized fox hunt in America. Founded in 1840 by Colonel Richard Henry Dulany at nearby Welbourne, Piedmont Hunt has maintained continuous operations for over 180 seasons. The same Colonel Dulany established the Upperville Colt & Horse Show in 1853—the oldest horse show in the United States—just minutes from Peace and Plenty's gates. To own property in Piedmont territory is to be part of a living tradition that predates the Civil War.

Upperville: The Quiet Heart of Hunt Country

Peace and Plenty is located on Delaplane Grade Road in Upperville, a village of fewer than 200 residents that has remained remarkably unchanged since its founding in 1797. While neighboring Middleburg draws weekend visitors to its boutiques and tasting rooms, Upperville maintains the unhurried character of a working agricultural community. The village is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with approximately fifty of its seventy-five buildings dating to the nineteenth century.

The welcoming signage at Hunter's Head Tavern, an Upperville institution serving sustainable, locally sourced fare in an 18th-century setting.

For those who live here, Upperville offers the essentials of civilized country life without pretension. Hunter's Head Tavern, housed in a restored eighteenth-century building that began as a log cabin around 1750, serves sustainable, humanely raised fare from nearby Ayrshire Farm. It is the Piedmont's only farm-owned gastropub and a gathering place where muddy boots are as welcome as polished brogues. The Market at Bluewater Kitchen provides scratch-made provisions for those evenings when cooking feels like too much after a long day in the saddle.

The Market at Bluewater Kitchen in Upperville offers scratch-made prepared foods, local provisions, and curated groceries, perfect for stocking the pantry after a long day in the saddle.

The village sits eight miles west of Middleburg and roughly sixty miles from Washington, D.C.—close enough for those who maintain professional lives in the capital, yet far enough to feel genuinely removed from its rhythms. Dulles International Airport is approximately fifty minutes away. For buyers relocating from other regions, Upperville offers proximity to the five-star Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg, the historic Red Fox Inn (Virginia's oldest restaurant), and the refined dining of establishments like Goodstone Inn and Harrimans.

For the Serious Equestrian

Buyers seeking Peace and Plenty will likely already understand what it means to own property in Piedmont Hunt territory. For those less familiar with Virginia's equestrian landscape, some context may be helpful.

Virginia boasts twenty-five fox hunting clubs—the highest concentration in North America. The Piedmont Fox Hounds, in whose territory this property lies, was established in 1840 and remains the oldest continuously operating hunt in the United States. Formal hunting season runs November through March, with cubbing beginning in October. Membership in a recognized hunt involves not just riding privileges but participation in a community dedicated to land conservation, hound breeding, and the perpetuation of centuries-old traditions.

The Upperville Colt & Horse Show, held annually during the first week of June at nearby Grafton Farm, draws Olympic-caliber riders and nearly two thousand horse-and-rider combinations. It has been named Horse Show of the Year by both the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame and the Virginia Horse Show Association. Competing or simply spectating "Under the Oaks" is a rite of passage for anyone serious about the hunter-jumper world. Grafton Farm also hosts the following horse shows:

Loudoun Benefit
Middleburg Classic
Piedmont Jumpers
Jump for Fun
Zone Finals for the WIHS

Peace and Plenty's twelve-stall barn and multiple outbuildings provide infrastructure for a working equestrian operation, while the acreage offers the space that serious horse people require.

A Legacy Neighborhood

The Upperville and Middleburg area has long attracted those who appreciate both privacy and purpose. Paul Mellon, the philanthropist and legendary thoroughbred breeder, made his home at Rokeby Farm, where he bred Kentucky Derby winner Sea Hero. His wife, Rachel "Bunny" Mellon, created Oak Spring Garden, now preserved as a foundation and open for special events. Mellon donated the funds to build Trinity Episcopal Church in Upperville, which remains the center of the village's social and charitable activities.

The gardens at Oak Spring, Bunny Mellon's renowned Upperville estate, now preserved by the Oak Spring Garden Foundation and open for select public events.

Ayrshire Farm just down the road, is a Certified Humane organic operation that supplies Hunter's Head Tavern. The Dulany family, whose patriarch founded both the Piedmont Hunt and the Upperville Horse Show, still owns historic Welbourne. This is a community where conservation is not an abstract principle but a lived commitment, where neighbors understand that protecting open land benefits everyone who rides, farms, or simply appreciates an unbroken horizon.

Property Details

View the full MLS listing here: Peace and Plenty at Bollingbrook

Address: 1610 Delaplane Grade Road, Upperville, VA 20184

Offered At: $11,200,000

Acreage: 365 acres, preserved in easement

Manor House: Approximately 8,613 square feet

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 3 full, 1 half

Year Built: 1809, expanded 1830

Structures: 17 original buildings

Hunt Territory: Piedmont Fox Hounds

Conservation: Land Trust of Virginia easement

MLS#: VAFQ2019532

Listed by: Susan Hensley, Hunt Country Sotheby's International Realty

An Invitation

Properties like Peace and Plenty at Bollingbrook do not come to market often. When they do, they find their way to buyers who understand that ownership of such an estate is as much about responsibility as it is about privilege—responsibility to the land, to the community that has protected it, and to the traditions that give this region its distinctive character.

For those ready to write the next chapter in this property's remarkable story, I would be honored to arrange a private showing and share more about what makes Peace and Plenty one of Virginia Hunt Country's most significant offerings.