The Elms
A coal baron’s estate modeled on an 18th-century French château, known for its refined French gardens and an underground tour that reveals servants’ lives.
The Elms was built in 1901 as the summer home of coal magnate Edward Berwind. It imitates the Château d’Asnières near Paris and displays 18th-century French furniture and art. The sunken French garden and marble pavilion outside are especially photogenic. The house’s special feature is a paid “Servants’ Life” tour, which takes visitors into behind-the-scenes areas such as the underground kitchen, boiler room and roof, to show how the mansion ran. The Preservation Society of Newport County manages it. Single-house tickets start at about $30, and multi-house passes are available. Online booking is recommended.
Opening hours
Approx. 10:00–17:00 (seasonal changes)
Nearby sights
- Kingscote
- International Tennis Hall of Fame
- St. Mary's Church
- Chateau-sur-Mer
- Newport Art Museum
- Newport Tower
- Redwood Library and Athenaeum
- Trinity Church