Nydrie Stud

Renovation underway for historic Virginia farm

Located 20 minutes south of Charlottesville among the historic farms of Esmont, Nydrie Stud encompasses almost 600 acres of gently rolling Virginia landscape. Formerly home to a successful thoroughbred stable of the same name, the farm is anchored by a 19th-century, 20-stall brick barn. The land features a balanced mixture of open pasture and hardwood forests, and in addition to the barn there are two tenant cottages.

The farm is surrounded by other large properties, providing privacy and seclusion along with proximity to the conveniences of Charlottesville, airports, and major metropolitan areas. Richmond, Virginia lies one hour to the east, and Washington D.C. is 2 hours 15 minutes to the northeast.

LOCATION

Nydrie is located in Esmont, just south of Charlottesville. The farm lies in the heart of the Southern Albemarle Rural Historic District and is surrounded by other noteworthy historic estates and farms.

Scottsville, an easy 10-15-minute drive to the southeast, is a small town situated on the banks of the James River and traces its roots to the 1700s. The town features an attractive collection of stores and restaurants, as well as basic conveniences and a grocery store. Almost equidistant from Nydrie is the city of Charlottesville, which can be reached in 20 minutes and hosts a wide range of amazing stores, restaurants, galleries, and small businesses.

The Charlottesville-Albemarle airport is 45-minutes away, offering regular commercial flights serviced by American, Delta, and United Airlines. The airport has a well-equipped FBO, and the 6800’ X 150’ runway easily accommodates private jet access. Other nearby airports are Richmond International (90 miles away) and Dulles (118 miles away), which provide convenient access to national and international destinations.

NEARBY

Southern Albemarle County is characterized by its rich history and rolling, rural landscapes. Nydrie is part of the Southern Albemarle Rural Historic District, and several of the neighboring and nearby farms date back to the 1700s and the founding of the county. Many prominent figures in American history called this area home, and three of the first five American presidents lived within an hour of Nydrie. Jefferson’s Monticello, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is just 16 miles away and his outsized architectural, historical, and cultural influences are seen and felt throughout the area.

The regional hub of Central Virginia is Charlottesville; a small, vibrant city known for its lively music, arts, and food & wine scenes. Charlottesville and the surrounding countryside routinely top “best of” lists in national publications and the area continues to garner recognition as a fabulous place to both live and visit. It is home to the renowned University of Virginia.

Immediately west of Charlottesville are the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah National Park. The mountains are so named because of the isoprene released by the dense forests that cover the mountains, which lend the range a subtle, blueish hue when viewed from a distance. The mountains and their foothills are an outdoor lover’s paradise, with endless opportunities for mountain biking, hiking, fly fishing, and hunting. Central Virginia is also proud of its strong equestrian traditions. From competitions to foxhunting to eventing to steeplechase races, Charlottesville’s reputation as horse country is well-deserved and celebrated.

Central Virginia is also home to an exciting and dynamic wine scene, and several of the state’s top vineyards are located within 45-minutes of Nydrie, including Barboursville, King Family Vineyards, Pippin Hill, Veritas and Michael Shaps.

HISTORY

In the 1890s Harry Douglas Forsyth, a New Orleans sugar baron and financier purchased what was then known as the Tom Coles Farm. After renaming the farm Nydrie he went about building a massive 50-room manor house that was supposedly modeled after a Scottish baronial castle located on Loch Nydrie. To accompany the house, he built an equally impressive Victorian-style brick barn complex, which at the time of construction was considered one of the largest and most elaborate horse stables in Virginia.

The farm was later purchased by the Van Clief family in the 1920s and incorporated into their assemblage of surrounding farms. Although the Nydrie house was never again lived in (and eventually demolished), the stables remained active and began a very successful new chapter under the Van Cliefs. The stable became known as Nydrie Stud and would produce several famous 20th-century racehorses, among them Jet Pilot, winner of the 1947 Kentucky Derby, and Natalma, the dam of Northern Dancer, winner of the 1964 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. The farm remained in the Van Clief family until 2008, at which point the property was sold.