Beautiful Samarkand Estate to be featured in state-sponsored garden tour

Long & Foster® Real Estate, Inc., the largest independent residential real estate company in the United States and a leader in the sale of luxury properties, today announced it has listed Samarkand, a three-story Federal-style home on the banks of Woodas Creek, just off the East River in historic Mathews, Virginia.

The five-bedroom, three-and-one-half bath home is located at 341 Samarkand Lane, and was built in 1927 as a summer cottage and future retirement home by a local clam fisherman. The property is listed by Cindy Saufley Barnett, a sales associate with Long & Foster’s Grove office in Richmond, Va., and is being offered for $1.8 million.

“We are so excited to have Samarkand showcased in this year’s Gloucester Garden Tour, which is part of The Garden Club of Virginia’s 80th Historic Garden Week*.

Visitors will find beauty in every inch of this 24-acre estate, from the winding alley of 80-year-old Crape Myrtles that frame the property’s driveway, to the more than 50 varieties of trees throughout, including southern Magnolias, native Pines, Cedars, Oaks, Maples and Red Buds,” Barnett said. “There are approximately 14 acres in gardens that serve as home to an array of roses, wild flowers and more, as well as a woodland forest garden that features Lady Slippers, Wintergreen, Partridge Berries, Partridge Pea, Butterfly Pea and low bush Blueberries. These beautiful gardens are also reflective of the home’s gorgeously restored and upgraded interior,” she added.

The home, with a Buckingham slate roof, features 10-foot ceilings on the main level, and nine-foot ceilings on the second level. Samarkand offers more than 4,330 square feet of finished living space that includes two additions with wood siding, glass and a copper roof.

According to Barnett, guests entering the home are welcomed into a marble foyer that showcases a picturesque water view overlooking Woodas Creek. The foyer features wood floors and a staircase with a mahogany rail, as well as mahogany pocket doors accentuated by bird’s eye maple inlay, that open to the living room and dining room.

The home also features working fireplaces located in the living room, sunroom and in the master suite. In addition to oak floors throughout most of the home, the bedrooms feature tile floors.

The large living room extends from the front to the river side of the home and has Georgian detail trim with mahogany inserts. There is also wainscoting that is highlighted by a beautiful faux marble surround created by the artist in residence. The warm and inviting library offers custom cabinetry and bookshelves, oak paneled walls, and a magnificent terrace with balustrades that is accessed through French doors.

The dining room showcases a coffered ceiling and has two built-in corner cabinets, while the adjacent kitchen features a convenient center island, white cabinets with glass knobs, and Portuguese hand-painted tiles over the sink. There is also access to the partially-finished basement that has a laundry area and a cement floor.

A lovely sun parlor can be accessed from both the kitchen and the dining room, and features French doors that lead to an exterior terrace. There is a bay window sitting area and custom cabinets and bookcases that are accentuated by a wood beamed ceiling.

The second-level master bedroom suite features a closet with a laundry room and a full bath that has a tub and a shower. A second bedroom, also on the upper level, is located on the riverside and offers magnificent views of the water. A third bedroom and a generous hall bathroom with a large soaking tub round out the home’s second level.

The fourth and fifth bedrooms are located on the third floor and showcase architecturally interesting quarter round lunette windows. There is also a large hall bathroom with a tub and a shower.

In addition to sprawling gardens, Samarkand’s exterior features brick posts at the entrance to its paved driveway and a deep water, T-shaped dock that is approximately 110 feet long. On the dock is a gazebo that provides the perfect place to watch breathtaking sunset views over the creek.

The property also has two additional gazebos with copper roofs, a three-bay brick garage with a slate roof, a guest house with a small kitchen, bath and bedroom, and a machine shed. There is also a Peacock house for additional storage and an old boat house that has been grandfathered to allow for a rehab or rebuild.

“Interestingly, Samarkand was named after a legendary Central Asian city on the Silk Road, considered to be the crossroads of the world’s cultures. In the same way, the property’s vast gardens are reflective of a crossroads of many of Virginia’s native plant life,” Barnett said.

“Consumers recognize that Long & Foster’s vast selection of properties offer them a range of options when it comes to choosing the right home, whether their choices are based on price, location, size, style or a home’s history,” said Gary Scott, president of Long & Foster Real Estate®, Inc. “More buyers and sellers turn to Long & Foster to sell or find their dream home because they know their properties will be marketed by thebest-trained and most knowledgeable sales associates.”

*The Garden Club of Virginia, 80th Historic Garden Week – The Gloucester Garden Tour, is being held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 27. It is part of a statewide event sponsored by the Virginia Garden Club to raise funds to support the restoration and preservation of Virginia’s historic gardens.

For more information, visit www.LongandFoster.com.