THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 8, 1994 TAG: 9410060377
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAIGE FLEMING, SPECIAL TO REAL ESTATE WEEKLY
LENGTH: Long : 112 lines
It is a quiet place full of stories about Indians, English ships and illegal stills. The neighbors talk about Canada geese, blue herons, and great white egrets and the Rose Hall Farm that used to be. And all of these things are now part of Trant Berkshire.
People who live here enjoy the neighborhood's peaceful nature. They measure some local trips by minutes on the water by boat, they fight battles with moles or sit from glassed-in sun rooms delighting in the wildlife that flocks to the marshes that are their back yards.
Many residents feel protective, They live in a special place and want to keep it a secret.
Trant Berkshire is set back off of Great Neck Road opposite Old Donation Parkway. Its borders include Inlynnview Road, Bluecastle Court and Rose Hall Drive, west of Five Point Road and north of North Inlynnview. It also includes Trants Point and Brown Cove.
Nestled between the Eastern Branch of the Lynnhaven River and Lynnhaven Bay lies Trant Berkshire. Much of the neighborhood is built on fingers of land gently sloping out into marsh and calm shimmering water.
``It was a perfect place to raise kids,'' says Barbara Trant, longtime resident whose ties to the neighborhood go back almost to its incecption.
``Back in the late '40s and early '50s this land was known as Rose Hall Farm. There were cows, barns, corn, silos, quail, rabbits and a whiskey still,'' Trant says. ``When the still was discovered, where Trant Shores now is, the government was called in. They said it was the largest still seized, at the time, in the state of Virginia.''
In 1936, R.F. Trant, Barbara Trant's father-in-law, owned all the farm land that has since become this neighborhood. He built his first house here. It was a large rambling two-story shingle home with a huge living room. There were 14 rooms in all.
Trant then named his home Inlynnview Hall, which is where the main street of the neighborhood, Inlynnview, gets its name. The name comes from ``In'' for the origin of land which was Indian, ``Lynn'' for the Lynnhaven River and ``View'' for the breathtaking scenery.
If this land could talk it would have plenty of stories to tell, say the residents. According to local history the ``Eastern Shore'' area, which we now know as Great Neck, was a trade center before 1700.
Near the mouth of the Lynnhaven River was a pier called Pallett's Landing, where the finer things from England were unloaded, making colonial life more bearable. Tar and tobacco were sent back to the motherland.
This area was settled originally by the Chesapeake Indians and part of the land was their burial ground.
Trant Berkshire also is rich in present day delights. Says one resident, ``We bought here after the neighborhood was first subdivided in 1978. We liked the size of the lots because they are zoned to be at least 40,000 square feet. Ours is approximately two acres although some of it is marsh. But we love the water.
``Now we have a flock of Canada geese and they live here year round. But the most interesting thing I've seen is a pod of dolphins. They followed the channel all the way in and then went back out. That was about three years ago.''
Mary Strong, who has lived in the neighborhood for 27 years, says she and her husband found out about the area from someone they worked with. ``We took a drive out here, looked around and decided to buy. And although it's changed a lot there's still that feeling of peace,'' Strong says.
The lushly wooded area partially conceals the diverse styles of homes that quietly co-exist. Three-story brick Georgians, brick ranches, two-story contemporaries, Cape Cods, French Provencials and two-story drivits, which are something like a smooth stucco in a soft color like tan, cream, peach or gray, blend along the suburban streets.
``This is a very, very nice area full of established lots offering beautiful waterfront and convenience.'' says Judy Cocerell of Long & Foster Realtors. ``This neighborhood has a good, responsive civic league and its full of nice families. And well-priced properties sell fairly quickly. Plus, many are newer, having been built in 1978 and '79.''
Although the times have greatly changed the face of Trant Berkshire, the area seems to survive the building craze with its identity intact. ILLUSTRATION: [Color] Staff photo by RICHARD L. DUNSTON
Barbara Trant's father-in-law, R.F. Trant, once owned the land now
known as Trant Berkshire. It was later called Rose Hall Farm.
AT A GLANCE
TRANT BERKSHIRE
ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Shopping Areas: Hilltop East and West, Great Neck Village, La
Promenade, Lynnhaven Mall, many grocery and drug stores.
Public Schools: Trant Elementary, Great Neck Junior High School,
Cox High School.
Recreation: Great Neck Community Center, Marina Shores boating,
Lynnhaven Marine boating, golf, fishing, sailing, plus bayfront
activities, bike paths and Seashore State Park.
Assessments: Interior properties approximatley $150,000 to
waterfront lots for $800,000 and more.
FOR SALE
At 2424 Rose Hall Drive, a four-bedroom, two-bath
2,800-square-foot Spanish traditional brick ranch with a pool listed
for $250,000.
At 2624 East Lake Drive, a four-bedroom, two-bath,
3,337-square-foot two-story contemporary listed for $322,900.
At 2604 Thirza Place, a five-bedroom, three-bath waterfront
two-story drivit contemparary listed for $560,000.
SOLD
At 22440 Bluecastle Lane, a four-bedroom, two-bath sold for
$176,500 in June.
At 1100 Blackburn Lane, a four-bedroom, three-bath sold for
$203,000 in June.
At 2609 Britannica Place, a four-bedroom, four-bath sold for
$299,000 in May.
by CNB