Wynnewood’s English Village, which marked its 100th anniversary last year, exudes authentic medieval charm with its 29 Tudor-style homes, writes Paul Jablow for the Main Line Today.
Nestled between Cherry Lane and Wister Road near Lower Merion High School, the neighborhood occasionally surprises even the locals with its unique aesthetics.
“Nobody would build this today,” said architect Tom Hall, who lives in nearby Bryn Mawr. “It’s sort of like the Grand Canal in Venice.”
The designers aimed to evoke “a setting that felt genuinely old and organically evolved,” added Kathleen Abplanalp, Lower Merion Conservancy’s director of historic preservation.
She cited the stone and brick facades, leaded glass windows, Moravian tiles, stone floors, and broad fireplaces as illustrations of that vision.
“Residents recognize the neighborhood’s distinct character and have worked to preserve it,” said Abplanalp.
The neighborhood achieved state historic district status in 2010, which protects the original character of its exteriors. And while this has raised maintenance costs for owners due to the limited number of firms qualified in historic preservation, vacancies in English Village are uncommon, and any homes that do come on the market are quickly snatched up.
Read more about the English Village in Wynnewood in the Main Line Today.
