LMGI COMPASS
|
Spring 2019
•
31
Photo
by
Clifford
Pickett
City mayor William Paulding in 1838. In 1864, Davis doubled
the size of the estate for the second owner, merchant George
Merritt, who gave it the name Lyndenhurst, after the linden
trees that filled the grounds. The unusual Gothic structure's
sharply arched windows, turrets and vaulted ceilings resemble
a castle more than a mansion. After Merritt's death, Jay Gould,
a controversial and notorious robber baron, railroad magnate
and stock manipulator—one of the most reviled figures of the
Gilded Age—bought the mansion. Gould shortened the name
to Lyndhurst and expanded the estate. He was responsible for
most of the landscape design and building the conservatory.
Gould passed in 1892 but Lyndhurst remained in his family
till 1961 when it was deeded to the National Trust for Historic
Preservation where it has remained ever since, operating as a
museum.
Most of the furnishings that decorate the house are original—
more than 10,000 pieces, including artwork as well as the origi-
nal cast-iron stove in the kitchen. The two-story Picture Gallery
on the second floor, flooded with winter light through Tiffany
windows, is where Colin Farrell first sets eyes upon Jessica
Brown Findlay as she plays Brahms on the Grand Steinway. The
romantic moodiness of the Gothic room becomes a supporting
character in Winter's Tale, conveying both the extravagant rich-
ness of the Gilded Age and the high-end romanticism that Gothic
architecture lends itself to.
Location manager Kip Myers had a unique take on filming Winter's
Tale at Lyndhurst Castle. "The experience was wonderful. They
welcomed our crew with open arms. Lyndhurst's history and
unique look brought authenticity to the movie. It allowed the
actors to inhabit their characters and to live in the age. They
allowed us to use their auxiliary space for holding/catering/
truck parking. We filmed there for a solid week—in/out based
on weather and schedules." The location fee for filming was
instrumental in helping Lyndhurst restore the two-lane bowling
pavilion/recreation center that Helen Gould added in 1894. This
space also housed a sewing school started in 1895 that helped
women of service (domestic help) learn the trade of sewing,
advancing careers. All roads here are interconnected, illustrating
how the stories of these historic properties keep rewriting
themselves, creating an ever richer canvas.