Reynolda Village

Hi all!  I finally got a good opportunity to take some pictures this past Sunday afternoon.  I don't think I've mentioned here that my husband gave me a new camera for my birthday back in 2018.  It's a Sony ILCE-5100, and I absolutely love it.  It's a compact camera with a lot of capability.  I've used it so much more than I did the Canon Rebel, partly because it's much easier to carry around with me, but also because it takes terrific pictures.  That means for the last three years, I've done my own photography for my tablescapes, my recipe posts, travel pictures, and decor pics around the house.  When I first started writing House at Forest Manor, I made no secret of the fact that my husband did most of the photography for the blog.  I'm still no great shakes as a photographer, but I do feel like I've learned a few things over the years I've been writing this blog.     Sunday presented a good opportunity for me to take some pictures of one of our local historical areas,  Reynolda Historic District.  Today, I'm sharing some images of Reynolda Village, which is a collection of shops, restaurants, a greenhouse and gardens, and a wedding venue, as well.  Come along and see what you think.           Before I go further, I'd best explain that Reynolda Village is part of the original 1,087-acre estate belonging to Richard Joshua "R. J." Reynolds, founder of the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, and his wife, Katharine Smith Reynolds.     

source - Our State Magazine            This was their home above, Reynolda House, built in 1917, and designed by architect Charles Barton Keen.  It's a lovely home and makes for an interesting tour.  In addition to the home itself, the house contains a sizeable collection of American art.  You can read more about the house here.  Reynolda Village is adjacent to Reynolda House and is part of the estate.  The quaint buildings which now house boutique shops, offices, and restaurants originally served as dairy barns, cattle sheds, and blacksmith shops.  

   I'm going to focus on the buildings themselves first, because I love the architecture.     

This lovely building in the center above, formerly the estate treasurer's cottage, is now Norman Stockton Fine Men's Clothing.  Norman Stockton was born in Winston-Salem in 1889.  After he graduated college in 1909, he decided to pursue a career in the men's clothing business.  After sharing a partnership in a men's clothing store, Stockton bought out the partner's share and incorporated the business in his name in 1925.  Norman Stockton was a familiar name for fine men's clothing when we were growing up here.         

   I've never shopped at Monkee's, but Hal bought my engagement ring at Ringmaster Jewelers back in 1986.  My birthstone is the sapphire, and I wanted a diamond with a sapphire on either side.  It didn't have to be big, but I preferred that to a diamond solitaire.  When we went to the jewelry stores at the mall, they all acted like they'd never heard of such a design.  Hal's best friend at the time recommended Ringmaster, and they gave us exactly what we wanted.  I cherish that ring to this day.   

May Way Dumplings is popular with the younger crowd, but we might have to try it sometime.     

The building on the far left has Dough-Joe's Coffee and Doughnuts Shop inside.  Their made-to-order doughnuts look mighty good, and I need one like a hole in the head.  😜      

Another pretty boutique that I've never shopped at.   

Katharine Smith Reynolds played a large part alongside her husband in the planning of Reynolda Village.  She wanted their estate to resemble an English village, and I think she did a pretty good job (although an Englishman might beg to differ).  😊  All the buildings are built of stucco with green tile roofs.  I love the abundance of windows in these buildings.   

   

      

   

This building is one of my favorites.  As you can see, it was originally a barn.  The basement of this barn was a cycle shop when Hal and I first met.  When our son was little, part of the building (the right half and the silo) was a toy shop, Rolly's.  They had the most darling things for babies and young children.  I don't know that I ever bought anything there, but it sure was fun to browse in.        

I think this river rock foundation on the old barn is interesting; it's found on the buildings and in the landscape all around the estate.    

     The Barn is now a venue for corporate events and weddings.   

I was thrilled to see these beautiful flower beds!  This border with its mix of colors, heights, and textures reminds me of an English cottage garden.  I LOVE it!!   

  I could not get enough of these beauties.  Local Master Gardeners take care of Reynolda Gardens, and I feel sure they take care of the landscaping in the village, as well.     

I added a softening effect here just for fun.  Now let me show you the other side of this wall.   

This limelight hydrangea must have over a hundred blooms on it.   

There are more buildings in the village that are so charming and unique, but I just didn't have time to take pictures of everything.  I'll be happy for any excuse to go back and photograph the other buildings.  In the meantime, I'll show more of these beautiful flowers around Reynolda Village.      

This is just inside the entrance to the village, and like a dummy, I forgot to take a picture of the sign.  Sigh.  Anyway, if you look to the right in this picture, behind the parked cars, you can see part of the greenhouse.        

    There were so many gorgeous flowers planted around the shops and restaurants in Reynolda Village, I felt like I hardly needed to visit the gardens.  Aren't these beautiful?     

In the background above is the entrance to the greenhouse.   

Looking back toward the entrance and across the street is Reynolda Presbyterian Church.      

   This hydrangea bush was behind the salon and spa.

   

Another beautiful flower bed.   

I don't think I've ever seen such a mass of healthy petunias.   

Does anyone know what these tiny white flowers are because I would love to have some.   

   These look like lacecap hydrangeas, don't they?

   

I know this was an overload of pictures, but there was so much beauty here, I couldn't stop clicking.  I took over 300 pictures, and Hal took over 500.  It's a good thing we're not using film these days, huh?  I learned some things about R. J. and Katharine Reynolds while researching this post.  Their life was interesting, especially to me, because I grew up in Winston-Salem, and my parents both worked for R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company until they retired.        

      

Thank you for your visit today; your comments add so much to my pleasure in blogging.  I hope you're having a great week, and thanks again for stopping by.  I'll do a second part of this post showing Reynolda Gardens; I've never been there in the middle of summer, and there were flowers galore.   

   

Cheers,