Somerset Estate: A Living Masterpiece of Land, Craft, and Heritage Somerset Estate stands as a rare achievement—an extraordinary fusion of landscape transformation and architectural devotion that feels less like a modern property and more like a piece of Europe carefully placed on American soil. The Land What began as a modest 105-acre tract of farmland—once planted in corn and dotted with oak woods, wetlands, and a shallow two-acre pond—has been reshaped over 35 years into a sweeping pastoral masterpiece. Henri designed, supervised, and participated in the construction of the entire landscape, drawing inspiration from his memories of the outdoors in his native Ticino, Switzerland, where he spent much of his time immersed in nature. At the heart of the estate lies a 17-acre lake punctuated by nine islands, complemented by multiple ponds, a winding stream, a terraced hill, and a serene Oriental-style garden. More than 25,000 trees were planted during this extensive transformation, creating a mature, park-like setting that feels timeless. The monumental earthwork was carried out by Sprinkle Excavating Company over a 15-year period. Using dragline excavators, scrapers, bulldozers, and backhoes, they sculpted the lake and its ten islands, later planted with Bald Cypress trees. Material excavated from the lake was transported by dump trucks and scrapers to form a three-acre terraced hill, envisioned as a future vineyard. This ambitious reshaping of the land was not merely construction—it was landscape artistry on a grand scale. The Manor Rising from a transformed landscape stands Somerset Manor, an authentic English medieval manor conceived and designed by Jeremy Rawlings of Period Homes — a distinguished architect celebrated for his mastery of traditional and historic English architecture. Over the course of six years, Rawlings meticulously guided every aspect of the Manor’s creation — from the design of each stone element to the supervision of construction — ensuring unparalleled historical accuracy and architectural integrity throughout. Henri and June were involved in every detail of the manor exterior design, and particularly its interior. Structural engineering was handled by Ralph Schmidt Engineering. Construction began in the mid- 1990s and was completed in 2000, spanning five years. During this time, numerous trips were made to England with Rawlings to study historic manors firsthand and refine the estate’s architectural vision. James Wiley and 3D Stones of Indiana constructed the manor over a two-year period, fabricating and installing all exterior limestone elements as well as select interior stone features. The structure itself is formidable: 12-inch reinforced concrete block walls fully filled with concrete, six-inch insulated interior walls, and poured concrete and spancrete floors bring the total wall thickness to nearly 24 inches—creating a building of remarkable permanence. FYI-Lower level with 3 bedrooms/3 bathrooms/kitchen/living room/laundry room/entertainment room/wine cellar is semifinished. POF (Proof of funds) IS REQUIRED TO VISIT PROPERTY. 52 Acres Park includes: -10 Acres zoned A-2 with English Manor. -42 Acres zoned A-1. One additional house can be built. -2 Acres lake frontage. -1,400 sqft concrete Pier. -7 Stocked ponds; 1 at 3/4 Acre, 3 at 1/2 Acre, 2 at 1/4 Acre, 1 at 1/8 Acre -900'Stream -2.75 Acres grass terraced hill -18 Acres Oak/Hickory woods -3 Acres Mix Trees; Maples, Hackberry, Beech, Alders, White Birch, River Birch. -2 Acres Norway Spruce. -1 Acre Larch. -4 Acres grass. -2.5 Acres wetlands. -Oriental garden. -3 Wells.
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