#worldrebuild

As you come up the dirt road from the village, you will see the entrance gate to the lodge.

Through the gate, the dirt road winds up the forested hill and around the lodge to the main entrance.

Through the entrance doors is the reception desk where you will be greeted and led to your room(s).  There are four rooms to choose from: 2 suites on the ground floor, and on the second floor a single room or double room.  Every room has panoramic views of the lush forest.

In the mornings, you can get coffee, espresso, or tea at the self-serve coffee bar, or the restaurant is open for breakfast meals.

The restaurant features an open chef station where you can see your fresh, gourmet, local cuisine prepared with flair.  The bar is open for evenings (or earlier if you’re into that).

During the day you may choose to go explore the jungle or head into the village to shop and experience the local culture, but if you stay at the lodge you can learn and experience the surrounding wildlife and vegetation with the library, observation decks, birdwatching deck, or science center--and if you’re amongst the youngest guests, there is an activity room just for you!

If you’re ready to relax, rejuvenate, or reinvigorate, the spa and fitness center are located on the top floor.  Down a winding path through the forest is the wellness center, featuring a yoga deck and open air hot tub.

Several lounge areas offer a variety of atmospheres for any kind of visiting party.

We know you’ll enjoy your stay here!

The Oakenstead Estate was designed and built for the wealthiest land owner in Willow Creek and his family: a wife and their daughter.  The principal floor consists of two parlors, a dining room, and a study in the main living area, with the kitchen, two pantries, and a shed room at the back.  The shed room originally was a space for the staff to receive household deliveries, but today it is a small catering kitchen for event use.

Here you can view the green parlor, which was mainly used for brief conversation.

The larger sitting room was meant to entertain in the evenings.  Much of the furniture here are used for example, but the piano is the original to the house.  The family’s daughter was known to be a rather accomplished pianist.

You may also enter the dining room to look around, but please do not touch!

The Lord’s study was known to always be a mess of papers.  The ones you see here are for decoration.  His actual papers are now housed in a collection you can find in the archives at the Universtiy of Britechester.

Many of the original kitchen fixtures have been removed, but WCHS has acquired a large stove that is of the same make and era as the one this house would’ve originally had.  The kitchen was where the cook prepared the family’s meals as well as where the maids would do the laundry.

The service stairwell is by the kitchen, but we will see it later in the tour.  For now we will circle back to the main staircase to view the second floor.

Here is a newly received set of mannequins waiting for their period costumes to be prepared and displayed.  Behind them is a portrait of the Lord and his daughter.

The second floor of the home contains five bed chambers and a bath.  You may view the Lord and Lady’s connected bed chambers, but the other rooms now contain the offices and storage for The Society.

This is typically when our tour of the main house would end, but lucky for you this is the special evening Docent’s Tour!  You will be able to see a select area of the third floor and take the service stairwell all the way down to the cellar.

There is a ladder in the Lady’s room to access the top of the tower where there is a beautiful view of the Bay, but that is of course off limits.  We will now head to the service stairwell and go up one story.

For ventilation and more light at the top of the house, there is a skylight with its original ironwork.

Down the hall to the left is a small apartment.  It isn’t known if anyone ever lived in it or if it was only used for storage, but the views of the grounds from the windows here are lovely.

Now that we’ve walked three floors down, can you imagine having been a worker here and having had to carry a tray of tea that entire time?

Our basement level is still under work as part of the museum.  It contains five rooms that could be used as servants’ quarters or a butler’s office, two bathrooms--one for the females and one for the males--and the cellar proper for food storage.

We will exit the main house tour through the cellar stairs that will lead us outside the back of the house.

Lastly we will see the carriage house.  This is where carriages and later cars were kept and maintained, and there are stables on the left.  The small apartment above would be where the groom lived.  It is a cramped space, but with a nice view of the creek.

Now we have all of our event equipment stored here, and it is all included should you rent the grounds.  We have many beautiful weddings held here in the spring and summer.

Before you make any donations also consider that they help The Society fund seasonal community events and special activities and services.  Currently we have an artist available for portraits and a photographer set up for family or wedding pictures with the creek in the background.