B&B w15/16
by Patti Guthrie
As you turn off the two-lane road into the driveway of the Woolverton Inn, located just outside of Stockton, New Jersey, you can feel the stresses and strains of 21st-century living melt away. The stone manor house sits atop the hill in the distance as you pass the large barn on the right, outbuildings on the left and two cottages in front of you.
The property is 10 acres of rolling hills and grazing sheep surrounded by 300 acres of protected farmland and woods. It’s a pastoral serene setting, “A far away place close to home” according to their advertising. “All of the surrounding acreage makes you feel like you’re way out in the country, even though we’re close to town and only a five-minute walk to the towpath,” said Carolyn McGavin, innkeeper and co-owner with Bob Haas. They have 13 named rooms, 8 in the main dwelling, 4 in the two cottages and the last on the ground floor of the carriage house, with Carolyn’s residence in the upper section.
The manor house was constructed in 1792 by John Prall as a small farmhouse for his workers. According to Carolyn, the Woolverton family bought it in the 1850s and built it into the grand manor home it is today.
In the early 1980s, the dwelling was turned into a B&B and called the Woolverton Inn. Carolyn is the fourth owner of the property since its transformation. From Chicago, she spent 20 years working in a bank, rising to the position of branch manager. She and close friends Mark, a bank co-worker, and Matthew felt it was time for a change. They wanted to go into business for themselves and decided running a B&B “worked.”
Their search took them from the Carolinas to Maine. “We had three requirements: it had to be in the country but near urban areas, have two owner residences and no restaurant.” She continued, “When we pulled into the driveway here, we said, ‘This is it!’ We approached the owners to ask if they were interested in selling. They were.”
When they bought the property in April 1999, it was a going business. “We opened immediately and a week later did a wedding,” she said. The first room they renovated was in the carriage house, now called the Garden Cottage, which is handicapped accessible and pet friendly.
They then added four cottage suites before renovating the guest rooms in the manor house. The second floor features Letitia’s Suite, Amelia’s Suite and the Balustrade, while the third floor houses Newell’s Library, Asher’s Glen, Dorothy’s Room, Stockton’s Hideaway and Primrose’s Room. All are individually and tastefully decorated. For example, Stockton’s Hideaway pays tribute to St. John or Singe Terrell and his Music Circus. He owned the Woolverton property in the 1950s and 60s. That room has posters adorning walls and musical instruments.
Even though each room is different, they all have a featherbed, fluffy robes, Egyptian cotton towels and bed linens, central air, wireless internet, complimentary room delivery of the New York Times, complimentary soft drinks and bottled water, afternoon refreshments and sweets, fresh flowers and private baths, and most come with whirlpool tubs for two. “When we bought the inn, two rooms had whirlpool tubs. Now, nine do. We also added two gas fireplaces in the manor house, bringing the total to ten rooms with fireplaces,” she said. In addition, eight rooms have Bose CD players, with an extensive CD library available.
The new owners had immediate plans to expand the number of rooms by adding the cottages, which were constructed to look like old outbuildings that had been converted. They were designed by Lambertville architect John Ringel. Carolyn said, “We needed to add rooms. We’d taken a seminar on running a B&B and learned if you have eight or fewer rooms, you can’t afford a staff. You have to do all of the cooking and cleaning yourself.”
The new cottages opened in 2001. Each has a private entrance and parking space, plus all of the amenities. They are named the Hunterdon, the Cotswold, the Audubon and the two-story Sojourn Loft.
Each room also includes a three-course country breakfast. Carolyn said, “We have four seasonal menus based on the availability of fresh ingredients, but change what we offer daily.” All of their recipes are available for guests. Breakfasts consist of juices, coffee, tea or hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows, pastry or bread, seasonal fruits or homemade granola and a hot entrée like a “Dutch Baby” soufflé pancake with brandied apples or a Brie and herb omelet with roasted tomato. Entrees are served with apple-cranberry turkey sausage, maple-glazed thick slab bacon or apricot-glazed pork sausage. The kitchen garden provides herbs, greens and berries.
Carolyn and her partners had a five-year contract. By the end of the fifth year, Mark and Matthew moved on.
She had become friendly with Bob Haas who was running Stanley Cleaners in Lambertville. He had grown up working in “the family business”, went to college in Ohio, and then transferred to a hospitality school in Florida. After 20 years in dry cleaning, he was, “Ready for something different,” Carolyn said. “He had transferable skills in running a business and providing customer service.” Eleven years ago, Bob became her new business partner.
At around the same time, they hired Ed Szwedo as their full-time chef. Bob said, “Thanks to Ed, our breakfasts are ‘to die for’. Within the first six months of coming here, I had gained several pounds!”
Bob and his wife live off premises, although when Carolyn is away, he stays on site, commenting, “We have lots of land. Therefore, we feel someone should be here. To us, that’s very important even though most of our guests just want to be left alone.” He continued, “Basically, we’re a quiet romantic retreat where people can reconnect.” Added Carolyn, “That’s why there are no televisions in our guest rooms.”
Through the years, the Woolverton Inn has garnered numerous awards and accolades. The most recent is their being named as one of the top 50 inns in the US by Business Insider. The Washingtonian said: “Luxurious rooms and fine hosts have made this one of the most romantic inns not just in the region but in the country,” in their Dream Weekends section.
Their three resident sheep Rita, Karen and Kristin add to the pastoral setting, along with Tom, Carolyn’s English springer spaniel who is the official greeter. At this point, they maintain, but don’t use, the large barn on the property.
When asked what sets the Woolverton apart from all of the others in the area, Carolyn responded. “We’ve created an upscale B&B. Plus, our proximity to both New Hope and Lambertville coupled with our ‘out in the country’ peaceful locale set us apart. The first question we always get is, ‘How close are you to New Hope?’ In addition, we’re not far from New York City, Philadelphia and Washington.” She added, “I also would say our customer service sets us apart. We try to anticipate our guests’ needs and offer outstanding service.”
If a romantic retreat to a peaceful bucolic place where you can recharge while being luxuriously pampered is appealing, consider a getaway to the Woolverton Inn. The Woolverton Inn is located at 6 Woolverton Rd, Stockton, NJ 08559. To make reservations, call 609-397-0802. To learn more about this lovely B&B, visit their website at www.woolvertoninn.com.
Patti Guthrie is a freelance writer and antiques dealer from Chalfont, PA.