House Lust: The Dreamy William Whitridge Estate in Tiverton

It's the prettiest of all the hidden gems in this rural waterside town.

May 5, 2020

Tiverton’s William Whitridge estate puts Southern plantations to shame, in both scale and beauty. But it started out as the simple abode of a small-town doctor.

The estate was established around 1770 by Dr. William Whitridge, a Tiverton physician, chemist and all-around Renaissance man who reportedly learned Hebrew at age sixty just so he could analyze the scriptures for himself. The two-bedroom Colonial he commissioned to house his family — he and wife, Mary, had twelve children altogether — still stands today.

If you thought Dr. Whitridge was busy, consider his son, Thomas, the youngest of the Whitridge children — and perhaps the one with the most to prove. His three older brothers followed their father’s footsteps into medicine, while young Thomas struck out on his own as a merchant in Baltimore. He quickly made a name for himself in the region’s shipping industry and became one of the country’s largest coffee importers. He then channeled some of his fortune into the Whitridge estate, taking ownership in the 1860s and adding the ornate Second Empire frontispiece, with its romantic mansard roof, arcaded veranda and ornate Victorian trimmings in 1865.

The twenty-two-acre compound remained in the family for nearly two centuries, and renowned artist Thomas Worthington Whittredge — grandnephew to Dr. Whitridge — immortalized the home and its stone-walled landscape in many paintings.

This place seems to bring out the best in people, doesn’t it? And now, it’s beckoning another charmed family to call it home. Here’s your House Lust:

The William Whitridge estate, 285 Stone Church Rd. in Tiverton, is on the market for $1.35 million. The property, which is made up of two attached homes, has five beds and six bathrooms over 6,717 square feet. (Photos via Mott and Chace Sotheby's International Realty)

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The front house is 5,500 square feet.

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Another view of the entryway in the front house, which was built in 1865.

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The double parlor features full-sized windows with oak trim and plantation shutters.

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The second room in the double parlor. Both feature marble fireplaces.

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A view of the dining room with marble fireplace.

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The eat-in kitchen features glassed cabinetry and stainless steel appliances.

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Another view of the kitchen in the front house.

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The second-story landing has a cozy sitting area overlooking the front of the property.

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A second-level bedroom. The main house has most recently been used for short-term rentals on Airbnb.

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Another second-level bedroom with marble fireplace.

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Another bedroom with fireplace on the second floor.

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One of four full baths (plus two half-baths) on the property.

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A sweet third-floor bedroom.

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The original c. 1770 Colonial, built by William Whitridge, has recently been renovated and is currently used as a long-term rental.

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The cottage's living room is bright and airy.

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The cottage kitchen has stone countertops, a butcher block island and stainless appliances.

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The twenty-two-acre property is set back from the road and features stone walls, specimen trees, meadows, walking paths and a two-bay garage with loft storage space.

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A painting of Whitridge House by Worthington Whittredge, captured before Thomas Whitridge's frontispiece addition in 1865. (Via sakonnethistorical.org)

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A side view of the Whitridge house, with the two-bay garage in the background.

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The property is two-and-a-half miles from Tiverton Four Corners.

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For more information or to schedule a FaceTime showing, contact Mott and Chace Sotheby’s International Realty’s Cherry Arnold at 401-314-3000 or visit mottandchace.com. Below, get lost in the three-dimensional walk-through.

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