Nottoway Plantation - Inside

Inside

There are a total of three floors, six staircases, three bathrooms, 22 square columns, 64 rooms, (including 26 closets), and what was once a 10-pin bowling alley for the children on the first floor. The bowling alley now serves as a museum and banquet area for guests at the plantation. There are 165 doors and 200 windows, most of which can also double as doors. The ceilings are 15.5 feet (4.7 m) high and the doors were 11 feet (3.4 m) tall. Above the doors and along the ceilings are plaster frieze work that was made from moss, horse hair, clay, plaster, mud and Spanish moss.

Mr. Randolph’s favorite room in the house was the White Ballroom. It's said that he had it painted completely white to show off the natural beauty of all of the women, especially his seven daughters, six of whom would be married there. There is also an original mirror placed so that the women could see if their ankles or hoops were showing beneath their skirts. Over the fireplace, there is a painting of Mary Henshaw (no relation to the family), whose eyes are said to follow the viewer around the room.

In the master bedroom, Mrs. Randolph had a spot to hide their valuable family belongings in a bedpost at the end of the bed. There also hangs a portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Randolph in which Mr. Randolph is 40 years old and Mrs. Randolph is 37 and 7 months pregnant. On the left side of their bed is a small nursery where they cared for the sick and new babies. They would put a sheet or a net over the baby’s crib to keep the insects away.