The adventure and the development of the Country Hotel between Jamestown and Williamsburg, VA.

It all started in the seventies between Provence, on the Mediterranean and Burgundy.

Patrick Duffeler, the founder of The Williamsburg Winery was then associated with a Geneva based investment group that had a participation in an old winery in Beaune, the erstwhile capital of Burgundy.

Consideration was being given to the acquisition of a venerable building in the center of that medieval city. In the XVIIIth century, it had served as the Chancellery. It was located virtually across a large market place from the Hospice de Beaune, the hall where the barrel auction is celebrated every year around the time of Thanksgiving.

A large portion of the building was then determined to be transformed into a small upscale hotel designed to be part of the now international association of the Relais & Chateaux.

During years of heading the Marlboro motor racing sports program, Patrick had found himself traveling the world and staying in a wide variety of hotels. He had developed an affinity for the Relais and Chateaux that emphasize a quiet surrounding, private ownership, good fare and comfort as well as the uniqueness of the properties. It contrasted so much with unappealing uniformity of so many of the hotel chains. “When you wake up, you don’t know if you are in Singapore or Cincinnati”.

For a man that had taken some 200 flights per year in his professional life and who had been raised to appreciate history, he had developed a passionate interest in that segment of the hospitality business and the conviction that such was to gain broader acceptance, recognition and provide greater satisfaction to the discriminating traveler.

The management of the investment group approved the development of a full scale study. Patrick had befriended the family that owned a beautiful hotel property in the Provence at Nans les Pins and their guidance was invaluable to define the desirable characteristics in the creation of this new hotel property in the middle of wine country.

However, the project was not to happen. The investment group was restructured and Patrick accepted an offer to become the CEO of Fragrances Selective, an international perfume and toiletries company.

For the next seven years, Patrick pursued his career with multiple headquarters in Geneva, Barcelona and New York.

In the meantime, as the decision had been made to return to the US, Patrick and Peggy Duffeler scouted the country-side in Virginia and finally set their eyes on a virtually abandoned farm, overlooking the James River, a mere three miles from the restored Williamsburg, Virginia.The 300 acre parcel was acquired in 1983.  They named it Wessex Hundred; “Wessex”, meaning Saxons of the West, to reflect their combined cultural heritage, “Hundred” the traditional identification of early settlements for a tract of land that could provide for one hundred residents. The Duffelers and their two sons, PatrickII and Terence moved from Spain where they had resided for several years to Virginia in the summer of that year.

The specific goals had been to create a winery and develop a country-hotel reminiscent of old European properties.

Over the years, considerable research was done to uncover the history of the farm. In 1607, as the British expedition that was to begin the history of the new world from Jamestown Island, the peninsula of land that is constituted by the farm had been selected as a more desirable place by captain Gabriel Archer of the Godspeed. However he had been overruled and the three ships dropped anchor at Jamestown. The farm, settled in 1615 had remained identified as Archer’s Hope. In 1781, it was shown on the military maps of the French armies of Lafayette in its participation in the Revolutionary war against the British crown as the plantation of “Maitre Bland” a reverend active in the movement towards American independence.

Though the first project that was begun on the farm besides the reconstruction of a dwelling that was found out to have dated from 1736, was the start of the first planting of grapes in 1985 and the establishment of a winery, the planning for the design of a Country-Hotel remained very much on the mind of the Duffelers
.
The Williamsburg Winery was to release its first wine in 1988 to acclaim at the Norfolk wine competition and receive a “Best of Show “award. It grew from a modest 2,000 cases in that year to some 60,000 cases establishing itself as the largest winery in the Commonwealth. (See also, history of the Williamsburg Winery.)

Over the subsequent years, priority was given to the expansion of the winery while studies continued to understand the evolving requirements of the hospitality industry and searching for the correct concept that would fill a special niche in the area. The location for the country-hotel was identified and landscaping begun such that upon its opening it was surrounded by mature trees.

In the spring of 2000, the winery celebrated the opening of its new building, Wessex Hall that houses a cellar with a 500 barrel capacity, a reserve cellar and on the main floor a large timbered room nearly 100’ by 50’.

Searching for the identity for the hotel fell on Patrick II who had completed his college work at William & Mary with a major in history.

Wessex, the name given to the farm was, in the IXth century, the kingdom of Alfred the Great, considered by distinguished historians as one of the “noblest of English rulers” and “the most perfect character in history”. In 878 he established the Peace of Wedmore by a treaty between the Saxons and the Danes to come to peaceful terms and provide for a period of economic, social and cultural development. Wedmore Place was the name selected for the Country-Hotel to be located in the middle of the farm, a place of quiet surroundings, “far from the madding crowd”, a place conceptualized to feature art, history and culture in its stylistic design, its themes and decoration

Contacts were then established with the various associations specializing in the upscale segment of the market such as the Select Registry, Small Luxury Hotels, Relais & Chateaux. Each of these associations has specific criteria that were felt needed to be met from the onset.

A feasibility study was conducted with the assistance of a Swiss specialist, graduate from the prestigious Lausanne Hotel Management school, working with a renowned international consulting firm.

In 2003, Peggy Duffeler who had worked arduously on all aspects of the project fell ill and passed away in early 2004.

The funding for the project was completed in 2004 simultaneously with obtaining the special permit to construct the facility in an area zoned for limited residential and agricultural use, thereby providing the unique, quiet setting of a destination place. Wedmore Place was designed to be within a short walk from the operation of the Williamsburg Winery.

Patrick Duffeler traveled to Somerset, in Western England, the heart of the then Wessex kingdom and stayed at the village of Wedmore to research its history and visit its surroundings. He brought several books on Wedmore, Somerset, which are in the library.
(See also Wedmore, Somerset, brief history below.)

More extensive information on the history of Wessex Hundred and the history of Wedmore, Somerset, and the link created with Wedmore Place are available at the front desk.

The land surrounding Wedmore Place has been the object of a deed to conservation to protect the pasture and the woodlands.

The inspiration for the construction style was a blend designed to be reminiscent of the Clos de Vougeot in Burgundy, Montabaur Castle near the Rhine in Germany and Bacon’s Castle in Surry County, just across the James from Williamsburg.

The building is designed around a cobble-stone courtyard that features a large stone fountain brought from Southern France.

It was decided that each room would feature an open hearth fireplace and be styled to reflect the personality of a European Province, not only in the selection of the colors, the furnishings but also in the wall hangings, the acquisition of antique doors. See list of the provinces.

During the design development phase, the concept was received with great enthusiasm.
Wedmore Place is to be a place of history, art, culture and also a place to find comforts, relaxation, old-fashioned courtesy, good food and good wines.

Considerable care was given in the design of every detail, be it the architectural structural design or the selection of furniture for the large library. Research was undertaken by the Duffelers in Burgundy, Austria, Bavaria, Italy, Spain, and Provence.
Antiques were purchased in a number of locations and shipped to the US. Contacts were made with stone cutters in Southern France to provide for different items to enhance the identity of the hotel such as the front entrance gateway and the framing of the main door.

Artists see their work featured on the walls of the facility; be it as murals and frescoes on the walls of the Italianate rooms or as paintings in the wide corridors.

As well, Wedmore Place features a selection of proprietary products such as its own Champagne provided from an artisan winemaker from the Loire valley, specialty liqueurs sourced from Burgundy, Belgian chocolates, French marinated fruits and numerous unique food items from the Provence.

Wedmore Place is also a site for the enjoyment of nature, is ecologically friendly with a recycling program in addition to its various eco tourism amenities, such as walking trail in its park, country biking trail on the edge of college creek, canoeing opportunities.
It also features a health-oriented wing on the floor above the pool house with a gym, a massage and a pedicure room. Two of the suites have their own hot tubs while a larger hot tub is located next to the 20’x 40’ tiled pool on the lower terrace.

The library in the lower level houses over 500 books on history, travel, decorative arts as well as fiction and non-fiction volumes. It also has an extensive collection of magazines.