The sprawling Fieldstone Home is a handsome example of early Pennsylvania farmhouse architecture dating back more than 300 years. The Villanova property, originally part of a land grant from William Penn, is carefully maintained as an arboretum and bird sanctuary. With its blossoming trees and boxwood gardens, stone walls and clear streams, Appleford provides a serene sense of beauty in every season.
Over the years, the house steadily evolved from several simple farm-type buildings joined together into a striking example of old-style regional masonry. In the late 1920s, Appleford was purchased as a weekend retreat by Philadelphia investment banker Lewis H. Parsons, and his wife, the former Anabel Banks. For two years, they worked with the renowned restoration architect Richardson Brognard Okie to meticulously reconstruct the building. At the same time, they began traveling throughout the United States and Europe to collect the important antique furnishings which still decorate the house today.