I was captivated by this property when I saw the aerial view of a waterside compound of three houses nestled among mature trees. The main house was clad in shakes with asphalt shingles and the two other houses were clad in white siding with blue metal roofs. I especially liked the front elevation of the main house, circa 1890’s, with its quintessential Eastern Shore farmhouse style. The three bay, two and a half story house has this architectural style’s signature steep gable in the middle of the front elevation penetrating the roof with a 2/2 arched accent window at the attic level. The wide gable reaches over to the edge of the trim of the second floor windows flanking the center window and at the main level the entry door is centered between two pairs of glass doors that originally might have been single windows. Light shake siding, crisp white trim and the two red brick chimneys are the finishing touches to this harmonious symmetrical arrangement. The full front porch and the side bay-shaped sunroom with wrap-around windows are charming spaces for relaxing and enjoying the peace and quiet of this 7.99 acre site.
The main house has five en-suite bedrooms with separate heating and cooling units. The sitting room has paneled walls and ceilings with windows that wrap around one corner for views to the landscape. The spacious dining area has French doors leading to my favorite room, the sunroom, with its bay-shaped end wall of windows and furnishings of sofas for relaxing and tables and chairs for breakfast or informal dining. I could easily envision adding pots of colorful plants to create a conservatory on the large Mexican tile laid in a diagonal pattern on floor.
The kitchen with its “L” and island layout, white cabinets, black quartz countertops and wood floors is filled with sunlight from the row of windows above the sink, another longer window and the period pendant light fixtures over the island that is the perfect touch for this historic house. One of the main floor bedroom suites was probably the original parlor with its fireplace and French doors to the front porch. Several of the baths have brightly colored vertical shiplap which is a striking background for the white bathroom fixtures.
The second of the three houses is a spacious two-story, three bedroom, two bath house with a view of what locals affectionately refer to as “the Haven”, a sheltered open water area leading to Swann Creek and then to the Chesapeake Bay. The house has charming architecture created by a combination of intersecting gable and shed roofs and great outdoor rooms of a main floor screened porch below a deck surrounded by sheltering trees that provide privacy from the other houses.
The third house is an exquisite one bedroom, one bath open plan suite above the garages below. The suite opens up to the landscape with a continuous row of long windows in the living-dining area under shed dormer roofs that meet the side wall gable roof’s windows. The gable wall at the living-dining-kitchen area has a pair of French doors with full sidelights opening onto a spacious deck to extend the living space. The open plan living-dining area has built-ins for books and TV and the efficient “U” shaped kitchen is fully stocked with white cabinets, dark countertops and stainless steel appliances. At the other end of the house, a trio of high windows below the top of the knee wall above the bed and the triple window with an arched top over the center window flood the space with light. I loved the bath’s claw foot tub with the sides painted bright teal and how the double windows were set low above the tub’s edge so one could lean back and soak while discreetly enjoying the view of the landscape below.
Spring Cove Manor currently operates as a country inn with daily and weekly rentals but believe it would also be an ideal family compound with the main house, the large cottage and the suite over the garage. Acres of privacy, a public landing next to the waterfront of this property for boating or kayaking, lawns for picnics or play and close proximity to the charms of Rock Hall-an idyllic setting!
For more information about this property, contact Doug Ashley with Doug Ashley Realtors at 410-810-0010 (o), 410-708-0480 (c) or [email protected]. For more pictures and pricing, visit www.dougashleyrealtors.com, “Equal Housing Opportunity”.
Photography by Janelle Stroop, 410-310-6838, [email protected].
Spy House of the Week is an ongoing series that selects a different home each week. The Spy’s Habitat editor Jennifer Martella makes these selections based exclusively on her experience as a architect.
Jennifer Martella has pursued her dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. Her award winning work has ranged from revitalization projects to a collaboration with the Maya Lin Studio for the Children’s Defense Fund’s corporate retreat in her home state of Tennessee.
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