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Neighborhood of the Week

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House of the Week: Barrington castle for sale

01:00 AM EDT on Saturday, October 20, 2007

By Michael Mello
Journal Staff Writer

The light-filled family room has a stone fireplace and a long raised hearth. A side door leads to the pool and hot tub. Providence Journal photots / Sandor Bodo

There’s something about a turret, stone facade and a steep hip roof with flared ends that evoke the romance and gallantry of medieval times, complete with images of knights and ladies in distress.

Like most people who pass by the eight-room Victorian house at 6 Holly Lane, in Barrington, Ines Feller couldn’t help her reaction: “It looks like a castle. I thought it was romantic and beautiful.”

When it went on the market, Ines and her husband, Joseph, were beaten to the 19th-century property in the exclusive Rumstick neighborhood. But a proposed deal fell through and the sellers decided to look for a short-term renter. The Fellers had just sold a Providence condominium and needed a place to rent while they searched for a new home.

The timing and terms were perfect. The Fellers, who had two small children at the time, eventually bought the 1.1-acre property, in 1987.

“It is so unique, different from anything else” in the neighborhood, Ines said. It was built in 1893 as a carriage house for Edgar Martin, whose primary residence still stands next door. Martin’s name is on a plaque issued to the Holly Lane property by the Barrington Preservation Society.

While the exterior of the Fellers’ house unmistakably resembles a castle, its interior at the time more closely resembled a dungeon, Ines said with a laugh.

“The drawback to the house was that it was extremely dark” inside, she said. Brown, laminate flooring, dark bookcases and ceiling beams all contributed to the interior’s cold aesthetic.

Light-colored ceramic tile replaced the old flooring in several rooms. Skylights were added. Ceiling beams were painted white and the living-room bookcases were removed, brightening the room and opening the space.

Outside, the landscape is constantly changing. Overgrown plants were removed from the front of the house, which has a mixed masonry and shingle exterior. Fruit trees, arborvitae, rhododendrons and other plants on the perimeter of the property have matured, providing privacy for an in-ground pool and side yard.

Visitors enter from a winding, gravel driveway to a curved, stone and shingle-covered front entrance that stretches two floors. While turrets are common on Victorian-era houses, the curved design doesn’t usually extend to the first floor.

The large, white front door is also unusual, not for its color or size but the centered location of the handle.

Inside, a brass light fixture hangs in the foyer, which includes several closets for clothes and utilities.

To the right is a bright living room with walls and ceiling beams painted white. Lighting is recessed and the floor is covered with ceramic tile shaded white and brown. Three side windows offer great sunset views over Narragansett Bay.

Around a corner there’s a wet bar and half-bath that lead to a laundry room and side entrance.

Nearby is a light-filled family room with a fireplace built into a stone wall. A long, raised stone hearth provides extra seating. The space is connected to the kitchen and includes a small dining table. A side entrance leads to a cobblestone path to the sheltered pool and hot tub.

The 1980s-era kitchen is functional but needs updating.

Ceramic tile flooring was added by the current owners. Formica covers the counters, cabinets and drawers. Appliances are standard and most, including a Sub-Zero fridge, are more than 20 years old.

There’s display space between the ceiling and cabinets. A pantry near the fridge provides extra storage.

Wide stairs lead to four bedrooms and three baths on the second floor and to a third-floor suite.

Oak flooring is found throughout the second floor.

Unusual ceiling angles help distinguish many rooms in the house, including the master suite.

Sliding wood doors open to his and hers closets. Another closet has built-in drawers. Large windows overlook the pool and a connected hot tub.

There’s a connected bathroom with salmon-colored, ceramic tile and a view to the entrance of the property.

Another bedroom has striking water views, recessed lights and a walk-in closet with shelves. Skylights are found above a desk and in a nearby bathroom.

More skylights are found in a guest room. A third bedroom, above the foyer, has a curved wall and a window seat with storage.

There is 3,989 square feet of living space. It has central air-conditioning and is heated by gas.

The property is connected to municipal water and sewer services.

A separate structure includes a two-car garage and a heated game room, which includes pool and ping-pong tables, exercise equipment and storage cabinets.

The angled pool has a bluestone apron and is heated. There’s a small storage shed nearby.

With their sons no longer living at home, the Fellers are selling to downsize.

There’s a public beach about two miles away. The Rhode Island Country Club is a three-mile drive.

Route 195 is about eight miles away.

The property was listed in August for $1.825 million. Real estate taxes this year are $18,295. Dianne Berg, of Harper, Ramos and Sheridan, in Bristol, has the listing: (401) 253-2323.

How to submit a House of the Week

A different House of the Week appears each Saturday in the projoHomes section of The Providence Journal. The feature tells the story of the house and the people who have lived in it. If you would like us to consider a house for sale as a subject of this news feature, send a photo, information about the house and why it is of interest, to Michael Mello, real estate writer, 75 Fountain St., Providence, RI 02902; e-mail mmello@projo.com; or fax (401) 277-8250. For more information,

call (401) 277-7355 anytime.