Andalusia Is A Bucks County Oasis Of Gardens and Grandeur

by Melissa Jacobs

Andalusia, the grand house with grander gardens, just opened for the season, and if you haven’t visited for a while – or ever – you really should. Spread over more than 50 acres of landscaped gardens, with a perfectly restored house that glitters with Gilded Age glamour, plus a verdant front lawn with a riverside view of the Delaware, Andalusia is the ancestral home of the Biddles, one of Philadelphia’s First Families.

Those First Families trace their roots back to England, Scotland and Wales, Quakerism, William Penn and his land grabs, er … grants. Of course, Native American First People were here long before the First Families came a’conquesting and transplanted their European white privilege into this continent. But gosh, their houses are pretty.

Andalusia was built in 1797 as a summer home for John and Margaret  Craig and their family. Named for the region in Spain in which John Craig did a lot of business, Andalusia served as the family’s retreat from Philadelphia, especially during its yellow fever epidemic.

The Federal-style house was originally four rooms and four bedrooms, with a basement kitchen and an attic with servants’ quarters. Although you can now see Philadelphia’s skyline from Andalusia’s lawn, the location was quite remote when the house was built. “Andalusia was here before railroads, before there was a state road or a town,” explained John Vick, Andalusia’s executive director. “To get here from Philadelphia, people took boats, perhaps ferries or steamships. You’d dock where the river wall recedes, then disembark and proceed to the house.”

Because Andalusia now abuts Bensalem, it may be strange to think of Andalusia as a secluded retreat. But stepping into Andalusia is like stepping back in time to a world filled with fine art and fine China, etiquette and manners, industrialists and philanthropists.

But Andalusia’s oasis of grandeur and gardens has recently gotten well deserved attention. Under the direction of Vick, who came to Andalusia in 2022 after 13 years at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the estate is stepping carefully into the limelight with a tasteful but effective marketing effort to increase awareness of its beauty and attract more visitors. Indeed, Vick reports that weekday visitation in 2023 was more than double the year before and overall visitation was up 70%.

All of which to say: Go now, before the timed tickets are sold out for the season. The gardens are open different hours and days than the house tours, so check the schedule and plan accordingly. The grounds can certainly be enjoyed on their own, but the house tour is highly recommended. While all of the Andalusia guides are expertly capable, Vick himself led me on a private tour of the estate.

Vick has had to correct more than one assumption that he is a descendant of the Biddles. It’s an easily understood mistake. Vick’s comportment, intelligence (and jawline) give him the air of a gentleman scholar that would’ve made him a sought-after guest of the Biddles. As it is, Vick is a capable advocate for the family’s rich history and impact on American culture.

Six generations of Biddles lived at Andalusia before the estate became open to the public in 1980. Now, under the care of the Andalusia Foundation and its board president James C. “Jamie” Biddle, Andalusia continues its legacy of architectural beauty. In addition to its porch – made iconic with checkboard flooring and Greek Revival columns – the house holds a fascinating library of first-edition books, gorgeous artwork and stunning period furniture and textiles.

Andalusia is also a shining example of horticultural excellence. The crumbling Grotto, remnants of its graperies, steam house, and “man cave” outdoor Billiard Room are wonderful to explore. Andalusia is an official arboretum with more than 1,000 trees in its database. The fabulous gardens were created by landscape designer Lady Arabella Lennox-Boyd, who, in 2017-2018, added more than 14,000 plants, the Green Walk and its surrounding gardens. Thanks to Lady Arabella’s work, Andalusia was recently named a Partner Garden of the Royal Horticultural Society, its only one in the U.S. and one of only 220 in the world.

That would doubtlessly please Letitia Biddle, who married Charles Biddle in 1888 and was the originator of Andalusia’s gardens, transforming its farming agriculture into pleasure gardens, then becoming one of the  founders of the Garden Club of Philadelphia. Indeed, Vick honors the Biddle wives as much as their husbands, bringing them to life as he weaves stories about their lives into his tour.

For example, Katharine Jennings Legendre Biddle was born in New Orleans in 1892, placing her in the Reconstructionist South. Her first husband, with whom she had one child, died in World War I. In 1923, during the Roaring Twenties, she married C.J. Biddle, Letitia’s son. She served as president of the Visiting Nurse Society of Philadelphia and actively supported the United Fund, Acorn Club and Weeders’ Garden Club of Philadelphia. C.J. and Katharine lived full time at Andalusia, becoming the last Biddles to do so. Katherine died in 1973, one year after her husband. Of all the Biddles who lived at Andalusia, Katharine is one of the few people honored with a dedicated room. In this case, it’s her bedroom, preserved the way she left it, complete with an avocado green mohair blanket. “We’re going to make a lot of renovations and updates to Andalusia,” Vick said. “But we’re leaving Katherine’s bedroom just as it is.”

For more information on hours, entrance fees and tours, visit Andalusia’s website.

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Want to learn about other amazing, historic houses? Read about Grace Winery’s Sweetwater House and Jeff Devlin’s Sycamore & Stone.

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