Malvern Bank House of the Week: An 1872 Barn With Modern House in Rose Valley

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This property at 2 Todmorden Lane is available for sale in Rose Valley.

Once part of a farmstead that included several nearby historic houses, this 1872 barn and its modern companion residence form a gracious estate set amid lush gardens, writes Sandy Smith for Philadelphia Magazine.

The barn and the house site are part of the subdivided Todmorden Farm, one of the earliest parcels of land to be settled in Rose Valley.

Jacob Benninghoove built the original section of the house in 1787 known as Todmorden Hall.

The home was built on land originally granted to Randal Vernon by William Penn in 1681.

Benninghoove initially leased the land from Alexander Wilcocks, then purchased it in 1798.

The house, across from Todmorden Lane, sat 250 feet above sea level, the highest point of land from here to the Atlantic Ocean.

Several owners over the decades expanded Todmorden Hall, including one prior to the Civil War who fitted it to accommodate slaves along the Underground Railroad.

In 1872, a bridge barn was built, one of two that sat on the property. The other fell into ruin and only the foundation wall remains.

The current house was built on the site of the second barn in 2013 and the barn’s wall creates a cloistered terrace and lawn.

The bi-level house mixes  traditional architecture with modern design.

The main living and entertaining spaces and the primary bedroom suite are on the upper floor. On the left at the top of the entrance stairs is a high-ceiling-ed living room with gas fireplace.

The living room is part of an open space that includes the dining room on the other side of an archway.

Crystal chandeliers hang over the dining table. Its French doors open to a Juliet balcony overlooking the walled backyard.

At the same level is a modern kitchen with up-to-date appliances including a professional-quality range, warming drawer and trash compactor, housed in traditional cabinetry.

A light-filled family room has a gas fireplace. French doors open onto a landscaped terrace along one side of the barn. Archways from this terrace give access to the barn’s first-floor intact cattle stalls.

There’s a sun room next to this open space and a patio to the rear of the sun room. Steps lead to the enclosed backyard below.

A primary bedroom suite with vaulted ceilings and a spacious bathroom are to the right of the entrance.

Two other bedrooms are on the lower level next to a second family room whose French doors open to a terrace.

The barn’s second level has unfinished storage space with a three-story-high room at its far end. A staircase in this room leads to unfinished space on the barn’s fourth floor.

The third floor has a two-bedroom, one-bath apartment with a recently updated kitchen that could be used as a guest residence or home office.

The property features flowering shrubs and a wide variety of trees.

It is convenient to Swarthmore College and Widener University, close to the Blue Route, I-95 and the Moylan-Rose Valley  Regional Rail station.

It is listed for $1,199,000 on realtor.com.

See more of Malvern Bank’s Homes of the Week by clicking here.

Click here to shop mortgage options and compare rates for free. Contact Malvern Bank today at 610-251-2221 or e-mail Mortgages@MyMalvernBank.com.

 

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