Forebay Stone Barn/ Clubhouse

The original barn on the property was built in the 18th century and supported early life of the Painter family. The early fulling mill and weaving equipment created finished materials that were stored in the early barn until they were loaded on wagons to be taken into the markets in Philadelphia. As each generation of the Painter family used the property for evolving business uses the barn was adapted, but unfortunately was burnt by arsonists in August of 1861. A large Pennsylvania forebay stone bank barn with attached sheds was rebuilt on the property by the Painter family, later that year. This barn was the centerpiece of a very successful dairy enterprise operated by the Painters in the latter part of the 19th century. The rebuilt barn complex consisted of facilities for the dairy herd on the lowest level, stables for the work horses, and adjacent farm equipment sheds. The upper levels of the barn which were accessed by a large doorway on the uphill side of the structure contained the threshing floor and storage areas for the crops supporting the farm. After the purchase by Charles Mather in 1897, the working barn was converted into a state-of-the-art equestrian facility by Philadelphia architects Charles Barton Keen and Frank Mead, including a large number of hunting horse stalls, cork floors, and an elaborate suite of stone arches at the eastern end of the building that mirrored several interior arches in the barn’s original design. The 1897 renovateions included the addition of a blacksmith shop to service the both the farm's workhorses and Stallions of the hunt. The barn was converted into Radley Run Country Club’s clubhouse in between 1964 and 1967, but was gutted by fire in 1969 in which an original N.C. Wyeth painting (entitled The Barber of Chadds Ford) and other valuables (mostly antiques) went up in smoke. The stone walls survived, however, and the clubhouse was rebuilt in 1970 and substantially renovated again in 2000. Much of the original stone work is visible throughout the interior of the building, and the stone arches designed by Keen and Mead are still very much in evidence framing the lower entrance to the clubhouse. Continue down Country Club Road to the Kennelman's House. Watch for traffic as you cross the road.