306 AMERICAN HOMES “AND  GAKDEMS 
May, 1906 
"Three Rivers Farm,” the House of E. W. Rollins, Esq. 
Dover, New Hampshire 
HE country seat of Mr. Rollins is about two 
miles from Dover, N. H. It is located at a 
point of singular beauty and quite unusual 
picturesqueness. ‘The name is derived from 
the circumstance that the Salmon Falls and 
SJ. Cocheco Rivers and Fresh Creek unite at 
this point, forming a long, narrow, level plateau, with steep 
banks sloping to the water. Once, no doubt, all this region 
was covered with heavy forests, for many fine old trees still 
remain and give the immediate vicinity a tolerably well 
wooded aspect. The ground near the house, however, has 
been cleared, and paths made through the surrounding woods, 
attording beautiful vistas and views of the country beyond. 
The house is built of brick, and has been freely based in 
design on the English manor houses of the Georgian period. 
above the gambrel roof and which help very materially in 
giving character to the exterior of the house. ‘They are 
splendid pieces of masonry, capacious in dimension and 
modeled in fine, strong lines. 
The situation of the house above the river has been 
admirably availed of in the treatment of the surrounding 
grounds. ‘The space between the two porches on the water 
front is paved with brick, forming an open court. A similar 
open court adjoins the porch on the west end of the house 
and extends to the water front. A winding path of stepped 
stones leads down to the river and connects with a small 
wooded island. 
The house is so high above the surrounding country that 
the views obtained from the porches are of wonderful beauty. 
The wall of the kitchen yard is extended to the stable, and 
The Main Hall is Covered with a French Paper Depicting Hunting Scenes, Brilliant with Life and Color 
But this in suggestion only, for the design is thoroughly 
original and finely adapted to the quiet New England scene 
upon which it looks. The conspicuous feature of the en- 
trance front is a great two story portico whose pediment is 
supported by four colossal Ionic columns. The water front 
has, in the center, a recessed portico formed by withdrawing 
the center of the house, the plan here being two wings with 
a connecting portico between them. ‘The pediment of this 
portico is continuous with the main cornice of the wings, each 
of which has its own porch, one story in height, which is 
brought well forward into the lawn. On one end 1s a one- 
story wing containing the kitchen and service rooms, and on 
the other is a spacious piazza one story in height which ad- 
joins the entrance front. More marked than either of these 
features are great chimneys, two at each end, which rise 
on its south side is a pergola with a formal garden. The 
stable is a spacious structure built around three sides of an 
open court, and is entirely in keeping with the manorial char- 
acter of the estate. 
The center of the house is occupied by a great hall. In 
the middle are the stairs, which face the entrance. At the 
level of the vestibule ceiling they divide and are continued 
to the second story in separate parts. [he woodwork is 
painted white, the staircase having mahogany balusters and 
rail. There is a wainscot of wood on the lower floor, the 
upper walls being covered with a French paper depicting 
hunting scenes designed on a large scale and very full of 
life and color. The ceiling of the second story hall is sup- 
ported on heavy trusses of dark stained wood with exposed 
rafters. 
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