Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 02/28/1992
NRHP Listing Date 10/30/1992
NRHP Reference Number 92001387
The architecturally refined residence at Rothsay was built in 1914 on the site of a Federal-period house that burned. The design represents an accomplished melding of the Georgian Revival and Craftsman styles popular during the period. The Lynchburg firm of Heard and Cardwell designed a 1918 addition and likely designed the main part as well. Defining features are the spreading hipped roof, symmetrical façade, and unaltered interior woodwork. A garden terrace, designed by Washington landscape architect George E. Burnap in 1918, joins a combined dovecote/garden seat, a pumphouse, and several ancillary structures. Lynchburg architect Stanhope Johnson designed the distinctive gateposts. Behind the house are farm buildings viewed against a panoramic backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Rothsay was built for Octavius Loxley Clark Radford (1870-1935), who maintained one of the largest and most progressive farming operations in Bedford County. Rothsay remains the property of his descendants.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: April 25, 2022
