10 Reasons to Visit the Lyndhurst Castle

By Amy Fernandez

Here’s the interesting thing about showing dogs. It involves a tremendous amount of travel. I mean what’s the likelihood that you would have ever visited half the places you’ve been to without the incentive of a dog show. So, in that respect, it’s an excellent way to broaden your horizons. On the other hand, what do we do when we arrive at all these great places? Bet you’ve been to St. Louis ten times, but have you ever gone to see the arch? And really, there is life outside the NEC when you go to Crufts.

No, it’s the same drill regardless of where or when we land. Get the dogs all settled and fed and groomed for tomorrow, enjoy the luxury of some fast food takeaway, and conk out till show time. Every year we trek to MSG–and I’ve actually done informal surveys to establish that no one ever, ever decides to take that two block stroll and see the Empire State Building.

Okay, you get my point. So, here’s your once-in-a-lifetime chance to see some great stuff and it doesn’t even require a two-block walk. Lyndhurst Estate, site of this year’s belated Westminster show, is worth seeing. I am telling you that you will regret it if you don’t check it out. The mansion is definitely worth a look. Never mind the interesting architecture. It’s packed with fabulous canine memorabilia. Every dog lover collects stuff, and if you happen to be from the Gould family that concept takes on a new meaning.

Krystyn Hastings-Silver, an onsite director and truly charming person, gave me the bullet points to make it easy for you. “Our offerings during Westminster weekend run from Friday through Sunday. We will have the mansion open and you can pre-purchase a ticket a ticket for $22 or get one at the Welcome Center where you will also receive a Lyndhurst history guide. We will be offering guided tours for groups of up to 40 people every hour on the hour starting at 10 AM through 3 PM. We will have staff stationed throughout the house to answer questions, but you can tour the house at your own pace and take pictures. Everything is done in a socially distanced manner to ensure safety. The entire tour takes about 45 minutes.”

That gives you plenty of time to slot it in between the breed and group competition. Not only is this an amazing house, it’s not one of those usual “stately home tours”. It’s obvious that real people lived there, and they truly adored their dogs. Krystyn pointed out that the surprising informality and comfort of the house, although unusual, was due to the simple fact that it wasn’t merely a giant showpiece. The family actually lived there. “It truly is a time capsule of real time 19th century life. The irony was that it began as a spring house and secondary home.” Yeah, back then they had a house for every season.

Ironically, it was originally built in 1838 to escape the cholera epidemic of 1835 that swept through New York. William Paulding, a former New York mayor and 19th century political heavyweight, came from Tarrytown and what began as the Paulding family’s summer retreat evolved into an opulent full-time residence. With its spectacular view of the mighty Hudson, the place truly was the epitome of luxury living. Jay Gould decided to buy the place in 1880 after a few years of summer rentals. His daughter, Helen, took over after his death, and continued to upgrade and enhance the place with additions like that fabulous kennel. It was continuously occupied by Goulds until 1961. And that’s the cool part. It really looks like they lived there.

Krystyn pointed out a few special displays they’ve set up just for us. “On the first floor you will see two special installations featuring Lyndhurst dog ephemera that have not previously been on view to the public. For example, in the parlor you will see items related to the family’s Pekingese dogs. And from the AKC Museum of the Dog we have on loan the large Pekingese silver trophy cup.” It’s so big that the obligatory cute photo of the winner inside the cup requires a big pillow to stand on.

“Then as you move into the library, we have a feature on historic dog coats and historic pictures such as Frank Gould’s first litter whelped at the kennel,” she says. It’s lovely stuff but if you’re not into Pekes or Saints don’t worry. “Emma created the amazing dining room table; she has a beautiful eye.” She’s lovely by the way. “The plates featuring Pointers were done by Fischer and Mig, a German porcelain company, made in 1870s. Upstairs in the art gallery we have the John Martin Tracey portrait of Sensation and Bang Bang.

“We also have their trophy cups as well as the Frank Gould St. Bernard cup.” And Krystyn explains that this trophy has its own mystifying history. She says, “After appearing for many years at Westminster it was given to the Saint Bernard Club of America to award at their national and it mysteriously vanished. Eventually it was rediscovered and came back into the club’s possession and has been offered as perpetual trophy at their national specialty. And it will be on display at Lyndhurst through the month of July.”

But it wasn’t just Frank. Quite a few members of the Gould family were involved with Westminster back in those days. They were way into Pointers. George Gould and his son, Jay Gould II, bred and showed Pointers there. Howard Gould had Old English and Irish Terriers. And his wife was a Pug lover. Basically, purebred dogs came part and parcel with the family legacy. And just imagine how much dog stuff you manage to collect in one lifetime. Lyndhurst was continuously occupied from 1842 to 1961 by three families and five owners. Do the math.

We need to appreciate the history of our sport. However, if you need a little more incentive, there are hardly any vendors at Westminster this year. (@#%#@@) But Krystyn assures me that a look around the Lyndhurst gift shop will not disappoint. She describes it as, “A little jewel box of unique things you would never find anywhere else.” They’ve got some great dog stuff as well as refreshments. And you don’t need to buy the tour to get into the gift shop.

The place is closed to regular visitors for the duration of the show, so we have the whole 67 acres to ourselves. Let’s enjoy it.

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Posted by admin on Jun 12 2021. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.