371 Claremont Rd, Bernardsville, NJ 07924

This enchanting house, originally built in 1929 by Ellen Low Pierrepont Moffat, was named Little Thoresby after Thoresby Hall, the ancestral Pierrepont family seat in Nottinghamshire, England. Mrs. Moffat remained there for 30 years. The Crawford family became the next owners and renamed the estate Balcarres after their family house in Rumson, New Jersey (facts according to Jack Turpin's book The Somerset Hills, Vol. 2). There have been several owners since then who have improved, updated and added to the original estate, currently making it a "new" old and charming property. A newly designed Belgian block-lined stone drive leads to an enlarged cobblestone parking court. This one-of-a-kind handmade brick house might remind a visitor of an antique estate in Europe, reminiscent of a bygone romantic era. Exquisite gardens, stately trees, a large pool, expansive lawns and bluestone terraces surround the very private manicured spaces outside. The interior of this beautifully restored and updated house features well proportioned rooms, original painted brick hallway floors, amazing plaster moldings, carved mantles, and all new windows along with preserved leaded glass windows which keep the antique flavor of this exceptional residence. A fabulous circular floating staircase built into an oast house-style turret graces a main hallway. The current owners have carefully updated the original section of the house and added a new wing, seamlessly blending the old and the new for the next owners of this cherished estate.