Belcourt Castle, on Newport, Rhode Island’s world-famous Bellevue Avenue, is offering to Newport County residents with proof of residency FREE guided tours through more than dozen rooms furnished with an antique collection of the Tinney Family from 33 countries on Sunday, June 21 and Monday, June 22 from 11 am to 5 pm.
Belcourt Castle’s history begins with Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont, son of August Belmont, who made millions between 1837 and 1890 as the American Rothschild banking representative. Alva Vanderbilt (Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt) divorced her husband, who gave her Marble House as a 39th birthday present, to marry Oliver Belmont and moved into Belcourt.
The tour with Alva, portrayed by Judy Martin on Sundays at 2:00 pm and 6:00 pm, provides uncanny insight into a most fascinating woman of the turn of the century. Alva was the leading hostess who introduced the Vanderbilts into high society by her charm and wit. As Mrs. Oliver Belmont, she financed the suffrage movement while using her social status to gain votes for women.
Presently, Belcourt Castle is the largest private residence on Bellevue Avenue. Harle Tinney, owner of Belcourt Castle, introduces the Sunday evening tours with Alva and the champagne candlelight tours on Monday evenings at 6:00 pm. She shares her personal story of 49 years living at Belcourt.
The Tinney Family story is one of saving historic artwork and architecture in a time when mansions were demolished in wholesale lots as “white elephants”. The Tinneys did not embalm their castle; they resurrected it by hosting concerts, dinners and lavish public and private parties, even murder mysteries and banquets, echoing eras from the medieval to the Gilded Age. Through three generations, the Tinneys have imparted a personal warmth to their 60-room, 50,000 square foot masterpiece of architect Richard Morris Hunt, which took three hundred craftsmen and countless construction workers three years to build.
For Newport County residents, this is a once a year opportunity to enjoy past and present life in a Newport mansion with all of its romance and intrigue without the customary charge. Sunday, June 21 and Monday, June 22 the tours will be continuous from 11 am to 4 pm. Evening tours will require a reservation by calling 401-846-0669 on a first come-first serve basis with a limited capacity.
Belcourt Castle is open to visitors daily with guided tours from 11am to 4 pm. Popular ghost tours are held at 5:00 pm on Wednesdays through Saturdays with reservations recommended, as there is a capacity. The regular admissions are: $15.00 for adults, $10.00 for seniors and college students with ID, $7.00 for children aged 13-18 and $5.00 for children aged 6-12. Group rates for 20 or more are available by calling 401-846-0669 between 10:30 and 6:30 daily. Ghost tours and candlelight tours are $18.00 per person.
