Belcourt Castle celebrates Irish Heritage Month

March 5, 2009 - PRLog -- Fridays through Mondays in March Belcourt Castle, a Newport mansion like no other,  will be open for regular guided tours hourly from 11 am to 4 pm.

Life at Belcourt Castle (1891-1894) began in 1895, when Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont, a bachelor, occupied his new summer “cottage” in Newport.  Belmont's best friend’s wife, Alva Vanderbilt, hosted the opening ball on September 2nd. That night the 60-room mansion captivated Newport society when they saw that Richard Morris Hunt had created a veritable French Louis XIII-style hunting lodge, with the entire ground level devoted to horses and carriages. Julia Ward Howe also described the tour of Belcourt at the opening ball, where Mr. Belmont showed off “the finest stable in America” with thirty stalls.

The year 1896 saw changes as Alva Vanderbilt, aged 43, became Alva Belmont. Right away Belmont’s library became a bedroom for Alva. Soon, Mrs. Belmont changed the house with no kitchen and one bedroom into a grand palace for entertainment. By 1907 the horses were gone entirely and a new library took the place of the tack room and part of the passageway. The exercise yard for horses became a garden courtyard and the carriage room became a large banquet hall. Mrs. Belmont oversaw it all.

The Belmont era ended in 1940. For the past 52 years Belcourt Castle has been the residence and museum of the Harold B. Tinney Family, who furnished the mansion and have exhibited their collection of antiques and treasures from 33 countries. Mrs. Harle Tinney lives in Belcourt today and often greets guests on special tours.

A new program beginning on Friday the Thirteenth of March at 4:00 pm,  "Ghosts of Belcourt with Harle Tinney & friends", is a walk through the castle, not scary, but relating personal experiences of those who have had seen or heard unexplained things. The tour will be held on most Fridays in March. Tickets are $18.00 per person and reservations are suggested.

A champagne toast to world peace begins the  Champagne Candlelight Tour at 6:00 pm on Fridays and Mondays. Lit with hundreds of votive candles, all the rooms and furnishings from 33 countries and some of the lost Newport mansions are described on the guided tour. Tickets are  $18.00 per person regardless of age.

Every Saturday at 5:00 pm is the popular Ghost Tour with Virginia Smith. Belcourt’s original ghost tour features a slide presentation by world traveler Virginia Smith. Her tour relates ghost stories collected from all over the world. The guests experience a live demonstration in the French Gothic Ballroom. Reservations in advance are suggested. Tickets are $18.00 per person regardless of age. This tour is not recommended for children under 8.

At 2:00 pm on Sundays, Judy Martin, who has absorbed the character of the indomitable Alva, portrays the lady in her later years, recalling details of her daily life and making some observations about the way Belcourt has become Belcourt Castle under the ownership of the Tinney Family. Harle Tinney, who married Donald H. Tinney in 1960, often greets guests of Mrs. Belmont by telling some of her own personal stories of life at Belcourt Castle. She describes the Tinney Family collections of priceless antiques, which make Belcourt Castle, her home, a museum of fine quality. Tickets are $18.00 per adult and  $10.00 per child (aged 6 through 12) which includes the tea following.

Afternoon tea poured from the castle silver is served with pastries and other goodies at 3:00 on Sundays. Held appropriately in the English Library, Mrs. Belmont shares personal memories of her gilded age parties, her building projects and her motivations for the suffrage movement. Alva Belmont’s role in “Votes for Women” is significant. The interaction between Mrs. Belmont and Mrs. Tinney, with questions and comments from guests at tea, is an extemporaneous conversation.  A lovely wood fire in the English-style fireplace crackles softly and often live music will make the old fashioned tea a memorable hour.

With or without the tour the tea costs $18.00 per adult and $10.00 per child (aged 6 through 12). Reservations are suggested because the space is limited. Guests who drop in may be able to enjoy the event if space permits. The program will be repeated at 6:00 pm  with champagne in place of tea.

To join the special programs please telephone 401-846-0669 or visit www.belcourtcastle.org to make reservations.

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Belcourt Castle is a historic mansion museum in Newport, Rhode Island which features guided tours and events