Tour #4 –Thursday, June 20, 2013

Hammond Castle/Beauport, Sleeper-McCann House

Gloucester, MA

Departure from Durham: 8:00 AM and Portsmouth: 8:30 AM

Our visit to the Hammond Castle, built between 1926 and 1929, will take us through one of the most unique homes in America. John Hays Hammond, Jr. America’s second greatest inventor built his castle home on the rocky Atlantic shore in Gloucester, MA. It functioned both as a home and the site of the Hammond Research Corporation’s laboratories. The Hammonds surrounded themselves with priceless artifacts from around the world. Docents will guide us room by room through the castle, including the massive great hall with its colossal pipe organ, the indoor courtyard, Renaissance dining room, Gothic and American guestrooms, and inventions room. The castle grounds offer a view of the Atlantic shore line not to be missed. Yes, Mr. Hammond invented the organ and – remote control!

Beauport, Sleeper-McCann House, was the summer home of one of America’s first professional interior designers, Henry Davis Sleeper. Perched on a rock ledge overlooking Gloucester Harbor, Beauport became Sleeper’s retreat, backdrop for entertaining, professional showcase, and an inspiration to all who visited. The interior and exterior of the house contain Sleeper’s lifetime collection of curiosities, colored glass, folk art, china, and silhouettes in every nook and alcove. Each of the forty rooms is distinguished by a historical or literary figure, theme, color, shape, or object. No two rooms are the same, with each more visually dazzling than the last. The house is framed by newly restored Arts and Crafts-style terraces that include intimate garden rooms with dramatic views of the harbor. Docents will let us in on what and who may have inspired Sleeper; the house’s many colorful guests who became a part of Sleeper’s life; and the home’s architectural evolution. * Click on any of the links above just to see the beauty of these homes, if you are having difficulty in making up your mind whether to come or not….It is spectacular.*

Our luncheon for this intriguing day will be at The Gloucester House Restaurant on Seven Seas Wharf in Gloucester. We have two choices, Baked Gloucester House Scrod or Baked Stuffed Breast of Chicken. Both meals include rolls and butter, garden salad, potato, coffee and tea and dessert.

Handicap accessibility: Castle – stone steps that are not too steep but are fairly narrow. However, a film is available to view on first floor if can’t manage to get to second floor. Beauport – lots of walking, no elevators and lots of stairs.

The cost is $74.00 per person, which includes admission to castle and home with docent led tours of both, luncheon, transportation, snack, taxes and gratuity (including the bus driver).

The approximate time of return to Portsmouth is 5:30 PM and Durham 6:00 PM