This charming English Tudor Cotswold style home was built in the early 1930’s, and is a unique property in Manor Country Club. It was designed and built by an architect named Charles Zeller as his personal residence, after he served in World War I in England. While in England, he fell in love with the original Cotswold style of architecture. He created 18 tudor plans and upon his return to Maryland, built these homes in what is now Manor Country Club. The neighborhood was originally to be a summer place for Washington, D.C. residents in the early 1920’s, but eventually many made it their permanent home, and his home was actually one of the first homes intended for year-round use.

     The home is situated on a beautiful golf course lot surrounded by huge oak trees and a lovely English garden. It is built of timber, stone, and brick with a slate roof. The herringbone design on the exterior brick is one of its unique features, and the bricks used in its construction came from bricks that were salvaged from the interior of the U.S. Capitol after it was burned by the British in 1814.

     The interior of the home has four levels. The entrance foyer opens onto a dramatic view from a top-level balcony of a paneled living room in the center of the home below, with a 3-story cathedral ceiling that is painted white, with dark wooden beams. Opposite to the entrance is a beautiful 18-foot picture window that has French doors at the bottom which open onto a lovely slate patio outside, overlooking the Manor golf course. The living room has other unique features as well, including embossed wood panels with medieval knights centered in a bookcase wall on one end; and three embossed emblems in the paneling above the fireplace. The central wooden staircase extends from the front foyer entrance hallway, which wraps around into a gallery-style balcony that overlooks the room, down into the living room on the right side. There are two bedrooms and two sitting rooms on these upper two levels, accessed on either side of the gallery/balcony. The sitting rooms look out over the lovely backyard and golf course, while the bedrooms are on the front of the home.
The dining room has a collage of an original hunt scene that borders the top perimeter of its paneled walls in which there are also rounded, glass built-in cabinets on one wall. The charming, updated kitchen in antique white is accessed from the adjacent dining room on one side, and by the living room on the other, with an additional exit to the outside. A lower level library/den, and an artist’s studio are found on the opposite side of the living room under the central staircase. The exterior of the home overlooks the Manor golf course and features a beautiful slate and stone wrap-around terrace with walkways that lead to the gardens and backyard.

     A one-half membership to Manor Country Club conveys with this property. The club’s facilities include ten tennis courts, an 18-hole PGA-rated golf course designed by Arthur Hills, an additional nine hole executive course, two swimming pools and exercise facilities. The clubhouse offers both formal and informal dining. Several programs are available for Manor’s children, such as junior golf, swim team, tennis instruction, and entertainment throughout the year.