Trade Secrets 2013: Mudge Manor

When Garrett and Ann Goodbody first met the 200 + year-old house, it was balanced on a newly laid foundation, having been moved from the bottom of the hill. Even though they had to climb a ladder to get inside (and it had no plumbing or electricity), they fell in love with the old Colonial anyway. And they also saw the possibilities in the steeply sloping cow pasture in which it was plunked.

With a breathtaking view of Mudge Pond and now surrounded by conservation land rather than the 20 building lots that the developer originally planned, “Mudge Manor” (as the family jokingly refers to the property) is nestled into perennial borders and blowsy shrubs. Thanks to a liaison with Judy Murphy of Old Farm Nursery, the landscape scales the breakneck hill with graceful terraces and billowing ‘Annabelle’ hydrangeas. And the house is buttressed with a pair of pergolas shouldering wispy wisteria, like a pair of arms reaching out in welcome. Spring bulbs will be plentiful and we’re hoping that the lilacs might be filling the hillside with their perfume as the maze of pathways lead up through perennial borders to a pool with its comfy pavilion surrounded by pergolas, patios, and plantings. This property demonstrates what you can do on a (formerly barren) 20-acre hill.

Click images below to enlarge.