History of Lockesly Manor

Clarke County first prospered in the late 1700's as people of Virginia's Tidewater lowlands sought respite from its oppressive heat and the desire to capitilaize of the fertile soils of the Shenandoah Valley to plant wheat at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Thoroughbred breeders, also fleeing the Tidewater, found a new home in the area producing the likes of Sir Archie and Thorton's Rattler, two of the most notorious runners and studs in that period's race horse industry. The horse industry remains an integral component of Clarke County, as is the Blue Ridge Hunt, founded in 1888, exemplifying the long-standing appeal of this beautiful rolling countryside, famous for its well-tended pastureland of orchard and bluegrass, interrupted by the clear streams flowing off the Blue Ridge to the Shenandoah River. Clarke County and Millwood have been equally admired for their abundance of imposing and elegant architecture. Certainly, this is why Elizabeth C. West, Lockesly's designer and original owner, saw the area as a fitting locale for such a grand residence.

.