Yesterday my friend and I drove over to Woodside to visit Filoli.
It was one of the estates belonging to William Bowers Bourn II who made his fortune from the Empire Mine and the formation of Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E). Now it belongs to the the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Its famous English Renaissance Gardens are huge: 16 acres. And there is a 68 acre Gentleman’s Orchard.
I loved the details in the many archways.
And the many places for quiet reflection. It was a very bright day – not good for iPhone pictures!
The main house, a 54,000 square foot Georgian mansion, is definitely worth a peek. It’s a little on the dark side with heavy embroidered draperies and wood paneling but the kitchen is amazing. A labyrinth of bright rooms, each with a specific purpose: a vault for storage of the silver, a baking room, a cold storage room, at least two ovens, a dumbwaiter, a Butler’s pantry, at least two ovens and even a very ancient dishwasher. (The house was lived in until the 1970s).
And it had a view of the clock tower and what was probably once an herb garden and conservatory (now it’s a gift shop). I’m guessing because we opted against the tour.
This was the most interesting thing in the kitchen:
It’s a census from 1930 of all the people living on the estate. Filoli is not the easiest place to reach – it’s about twenty-five miles south of San Francisco in the coastal range. But imagine what a lively place it must have been!
The name Filoli comes this motto attributed to William Bowers Bourn II:
Fight for a good cause,
Love your fellow man,
Live a good life
Saying nothing in particular 
Filoli is beautiful. I am amazed by the size of the gardens. I adore what the name of estate means. Inspiring.
We love visiting places like this!
Wow that’s lovely. I thought you’d been to England 💜💜
That was their intent – they also had an estate/park in Ireland – Muckross.
I think they played it well 💜💜😀
A great motto. Thank you Jan.
Wonderful to go to Filoli, Jan. I’ve been there once but it was a long time ago. Your photos, video and narrative were a pleasure, guiding us through this magnificent place. I liked knowing how it got its name, and I, too, really appreciated the census display.
It had been many years for me too – the time I visited the mansion wasn’t open to the public. The census data proved that the place had at one time been like a mini-kingdom onto itself.
This is gorgeous. Definitely worth a visit.