Villa Nova Country House
On one Saturday afternoon my mother and I made our way to Villa Nova for an auction, as this property was for sale. As we made our way up the long drive way to the Historic Inn we passed vibrant green lily pads lying in an aged pond. At the entrance we were greeted by a fanlight window, taken from the British Georgian style of the 18th century.
Most of the rooms in the Inn had a view of the poolside with aquamarine lounge chairs, the colour bringing elements of the Caribbean Sea. This colour continues throughout the building with the feature walls and in the details of the oculus window and wooden columns.
One of the English style features in the interior was the balustrade leading up the stairs. In addition, the entrance to each room had brass Georgian styled lion knockers that set the tone for the quality of style to be expected. As I walked into one room a clear vista of the freestanding bathtub with cabrioles could be seen. Each room of the inn had identical styles, which I found to be rather disappointing. I assume this was done to cut costs of buying furniture as most suppliers provide a discount when ordering multiple items. From the furniture to the basic layout each had little variations. The interior of each room gave a feeling of being in an old British home but looking through the wooden shutters of the vernacular island style, the tropical location becomes evident once again.
This building combines large stonewalls with delicate wooden details on its verandahs. Villa Nova is a Great House standing on Wakefield Plantation. It has served as a residence to its many owners. The existing structure is not the original building that once stood on this plantation, as after a Hurricane in 1831 the new house, Villa Nova, was built in 1833. Villa Nova was also a Historic show house for some time until it was used as an inn. Villa Nova has a wing for guest suites and a separate villa on its North lawn. The Great House was the restaurant, bar and dining suites.
One can only hope that the new owners of Villa Nova restore it as an Inn with interiors that show varying English Styles.
