Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 12/21/1976
NRHP Listing Date 05/22/1978
DHR Virginia Board of Historic Resources Easement
NRHP Reference Number 78003025
Windsor Shades, sometimes known as Waterville, is a little-altered colonial planter’s house in King William County. Although built of wood and employing a gambrel roof, the house has much of the refinement found in the larger houses of the period. A distinguishing feature is the massive east chimney structure, incorporating two stacks and five fireplaces, one of which is an unusually large basement kitchen fireplace. The chimney structure also contains two closets, each with a window. A fine Georgian stair graces the center passage. The parlor is embellished with a Georgian chimneypiece and paneled wainscoting. With the loss of county records, the early history of Windsor Shades remains veiled. The house may have been built ca. 1750 by Augustine Claiborne. The Windsor Shades property was later owned by the Ruffins, and then the Chamberlayne family. Since listing in the registers in the mid-to-late 1970s, wings have been added to both ends of the house.
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: August 8, 2022
