City: Charleston, SC

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (843) 769-2600

Address: 3380 Ashley River Rd.

Description: Not a tour of a reconstructed working plantation or the collected decorative arts from a bygone era, Drayton Hall offers an adventure in architecture. Yes, architecture and a great deal more. If for no other reason, Drayton Hall should be seen and experienced as the sole survivor of the ugly 1865 rampage by Union troops, who looted and burned nearly every other plantation house along the Ashley River. But there is more to Drayton Hall, as it also stands as a survivor of many other changes, influences, forces, and times. It was built between 1738 and 1742 as the country seat (primary home) of John Drayton (1716–1779), whose family had emigrated to Charles Towne from Barbados and settled nearby at Magnolia Plantation a generation earlier. The house is considered one of the oldest and finest examples of Georgian-Palladian architecture in America. Its recessed, 2-story portico may have been inspired by Italy’s Villa Pisani, designed in 1552 by Andrea Palladio. The portico is one of the architectural signatures of Palladianism, and Drayton Hall’s portico may be one of the earliest built in America. The story of how this very sophisticated English Palladian villa came to be built along the west bank of the Ashley, and how it survived the ravages of time, wars, earthquakes, and hurricanes, is a fascinating saga. Maybe the greatest curiosity of all is how the old Drayton house survived the enormous forces of changing architectural taste. Oddly, the house was never modernized. Drayton Hall has never seen plumbing or central heat; it never had gas installed for lighting or heating purposes. Its only link with modern electricity is the one meager line that brings life to its sadly necessary modern security system. Quite simply, Drayton Hall is an architectural time capsule. The structure remains almost untouched as an eloquent statement about 18th-century thinking, craftsmanship, technology, and design. It’s one of the few sites left in colonial America so pure, unaltered, and uncompromising. Visitors will find the Drayton Hall story—how it all came to pass—interpreted by a small group of professional guides. These storytellers lead you through 250 years of time, family genealogy, architectural history, and a smattering of the economic and social realities of the plantation system. A word or two about “interpretation” might be helpful here. Because each guide at Drayton Hall develops his or her own perspective of the house, every tour will be slightly different. That is, each guide bears the responsibility of interpreting and synthesizing the tremendous amount of research data collected about the property. You hear the guide’s words, not a written script. Thus, return visits will only deepen your understanding of the house, its people, and its times. The bare fact that you’re touring virtually unfurnished rooms is hardly noticeable, since each room is chock-full of interesting information and rich architectural detail. Drayton Hall comes to life because imagination is a wonderful artist. Imagination can paint in the faded colors of Drayton Hall’s early days, when the settlement of Charles Towne was barely 70 years old. It can flesh out the heady, pre-Revolutionary days when the Ashley River plantation system was at its zenith. Now, through imagination, the visitor can even see Drayton Hall in the grim, dark days following the Civil War, when vagrants and vandals used it at will. Imagination can find the returning prosperity and almost hear the laughter of the Drayton parties and other family occasions held here as recently as the 1960s. All it takes is an informed interpreter and your attentive ear. Research is an ongoing process at Drayton Hall. The staff has recorded oral histories of the Drayton family as well as the African-Americans so closely associated with the house and its survival. Preserved but unrestored, Drayton Hall and its faded hues and subtle shading, its frayed places and telling stains are all pure Charleston. The house serves to illuminate the whole Ashley River plantation system in a rare and strangely haunting light. A map is provided to visitors for a self-guided nature walk through the Drayton property. You can walk through various natural environments, including marsh, riverfront, and forest areas. Minimal signage along the trail offers interpretation of each environment. Archaeological as well as historic sites can be seen and understood as to their relevance to the 18th- and 19th-century Drayton Hall lifestyle. Major portions of the nature trails are wheelchair-accessible. An ongoing project at Drayton Hall is an education program for students in kindergarten through grade 12. Several curriculum-coordinated programs feature student tours, plantation games, archaeology studies, and preservation workshops for both teachers and students. This historic site is now owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Admission prices include a professionally guided tour of the historic house and a self-guided tour of the grounds, including the African-American cemetery and their interactive Connections program. Tours are offered on the hour from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Nov through Feb and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mar through Oct. A written tour in English, French, or German can be purchased. Group rates, AAA and military discounts, wheelchair access, and prearranged student programs are available. Admission is always free to members of the National Trust and Friends of Drayton Hall who show their membership cards.