Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/617358
40 | JANUARY + FEBRUARY 2016 nshoremag.com stained glass windows, oak and cherry paneling, stone-carved fire- places, and ornate wood molding. The atmospheric rooms include a wonderful conservatory, often the site of indoor winter weddings. Designed by architect Charles Amos Cummings, who also de- signed the Cyclorama building in Boston's South End, Willowdale was the weekend riding estate of prominent lawyer and business- man Bradley Palmer. The house has equestrian references throughout, including the layout, which is in a horseshoe shape. From May to October, weddings for 140 to 240 are held in an outdoor tent, while indoor weddings for 70 to 125 guests take place between November and April. Included in the services are a helpful DVD and a team of wedding planners. Willowdale Estate at Bradley Palmer State Park 24 Asbury St. Topsfield 978-887-8211 willowdaleestate.com LANAM CLUB Overlooking the Shawsheen River from a rise above Andover's North Main Street, the private-dining Lanam Club's two-and-a-half-story home is a Spanish Colonial Revival house with stucco exterior sheath- ing, shed dormers, deep overhang- ing eaves, and an unusual green slate-tile roof. Built in 1916 for son Billy by famed mill owner William Madi- son Wood, the house (which he named "Orlando") was designed by Andover architect Perley S. Gilbert. The interior features elaborately detailed matched quarter-sawn oak paneling, molded plaster ceilings of garlands and rosettes, exquisite hand-carved fireplace surrounds, silver lighting fixtures, and a grace- fully vaulted main hallway ceiling. A beautiful walled garden is the site for outdoor ceremonies; a tent housing up to 150 is a permanent structure from April to November. For winter weddings, the 35-foot- long dining room can seat up to 110. An upstairs billiard room and bridal suite add to the sensibility of an exclusive club. So does the fact that upon their first anniversary, the Lanam invites the bride and groom back for dinner. Incidentally, the name is an acronym: "L" for Lawrence, "A" for Andover, "NA" for North Andover, and "M" for Methuen. Lanam Club 260 North Main St., Andover, 978-475-5210 lanam-club.com WINNEKENNI CASTLE Set high on a hilltop overlooking Ke- noza Lake, Haverhill's Winnekenni Castle is a dramatic granite assem- blage of towers, turrets, crenellation, arched window openings, and other elements reminiscent of medieval European castles. In fact, it was built between 1873 and 1875 as a sum- mer home by Haverhill chemist Dr. James R. Nichols. Inspired by stone buildings he saw in England, he named it and the surrounding land "Winnekenni," an Algonquin word meaning "very beautiful." It is one of the earliest works of Haverhill architect C. Willis Damon. The original Victorian rooms burned in 1967; now the castle in- terior serves as one big party space augmented by modern functional spaces. Indoor weddings can ac- commodate up to 150; many more guests can fill the broad terrace and the open surrounding land. Winnekenni Castle, which belongs to the city of Haverhill, is photographs by Liz Mackney (top), by Zoe Isaac Rousseau (center and bottom) Winnekenni Castle, top, was built as a summer home. The Lanam Club (center and bottom) was built in 1916 as a private home for the son of William Madison Wood.