A new book is putting the spotlight back on Ardrossan, the famous Radnor estate, and the family that inspired The Philadelphia Story, writes Steven Kurutz for The New York Times.

Ardrossan: The Last Great Estate on the Philadelphia Main Line is packed with interesting stories, architectural drawings, and beautiful old photographs.

In the early 20th century, the Main Line was home to American aristocracy who were living a version of English manor life. One of them was Robert Montgomery, who commissioned the renowned architect Horace Trumbauer to build Ardrossan for his family.

The Montgomery family and their estate later rose to fame as the inspiration for the famous movie that earned Katharine Hepburn an Academy Award nomination.

The movie added a sense of mystique to the property, and the new illustrated book tells the story of both the family and the Delaware County home in detail.

David Nelson Wren, the book’s author, gleaned some of the details while enjoying cocktails with Helen Hope Montgomery Scott as a social visitor to Ardrossan in the 1990s, and his admiration for the family and the estate shines throughout.

Read more about David Nelson Wren and Steve Gunther’s Ardrossan: The Last Great Estate on the Philadelphia Main Line in The New York Times.

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David Nelson Wren and Steve Gunther’s Ardrossan: The Last Great Estate on the Philadelphia Main Line, a book which John Riccutti of Main Line Television called the “greatest coffee table book I ever put in my house,” is available on Amazon. (As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.)

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