The Historic Grange Estate

One of the oldest and grandest of the homes in Delaware County is the Grange Estate. It was built by Henry Lewis, a Welsh Quaker and one of the first three European settlers in Haverford Township. Arriving in 1682, he built his home on 500 acres and named it Maen Coch, meaning Red Stone, the name of his village in Wales.  In 1700 Henry Lewis, Jr. built the first section of the mansion, which is now the drawing room, and made subsequent changes later naming the estate Clifton Hall.

The current look of the home is due to changes made by John Ashhurst and his family who made significant architectural changes to the property in between 1850 and 1860. These included the addition of the porte cochere and wing designed by John Carver.

In 1913, the 86.024 acre estate was purchased by Benjamin R. Hoffman and his wife Margaret who shared his wife's horticultural interests and added many new specimens to the gardens.  Over the years Mr. Hoffman and his wife sold parcels of the estate leaving the current 9.917 acres.   Some of these parcels of land became what are now known as Chatham Park and Chatham Village.

In 1974 Haverford Township purchased the acreage from
Margaret Hoffman's Estate and is now managed by Friends of the Grange, Inc., a non-profit organized to preserve and maintain the property.

The buildings, gardens, and grounds may be visited free of charge, but rentals are available providing the vista of the mansion, front porch and piazza for the celebration of special occasions.

For rentals and other information, call 610.446.4958, or email the business offices at grangeest@verizon.net.