Bon Aire at a Glance

A Historic Virginia Country Estate on 43 Acres

  • $1,495,000Offered At
  • 43.02Acres
  • c.1812Federal Residence
  • National RegisterHistoric Designation
  • 4,280 Sq. Ft.Main Residence
  • 3 BR · 2.5 BAMain Residence
  • 1,985 Sq. Ft.Renovated Cottage
  • Wingina, VANelson County

Historic Country Estate · Wingina, Nelson County

A Federal Residence Set Deep in the Nelson County Landscape

At 1843 Cabell Rd in Wingina, Bon Aire stands high above the southern Nelson County countryside, its c.1812 Federal residence still closely connected to the 43 acres that surround it. House, land, mature trees, open ground, outbuildings, and long views create the sense of a complete Virginia country estate rather than a historic residence considered in isolation.

The architecture gives Bon Aire its distinction. A two-story center block rises between lower flanking wings, with Flemish-bond brickwork, classical proportions, tall windows, and a three-part Palladian form that remains immediately recognizable more than two centuries after the house was built.

For a buyer searching for a historic country estate for sale in Virginia, the combination is increasingly uncommon: important early architecture, meaningful acreage, privacy, broad country views, a separate renovated cottage, guest accommodation, and the quiet of rural Nelson County.

The Film

Bon Aire, a c.1812 Federal Estate

“The land gives Bon Aire its distance. The architecture gives it permanence.”

Explore Bon Aire in Greater Detail

Architecture, Interiors, Land & History

The complete Bon Aire property brochure offers a closer look at the Federal residence, floor plans, historic interiors, cottage, guest accommodation, outbuildings, improvements, and the Nelson County landscape surrounding 1843 Cabell Road.

This device opens the brochure in its own window.

Open the Brochure
View Full Screen

Defining Elements

Architecture with a Presence of Its Own

The Federal Residence

Formal Without Becoming Grandiose

Built circa 1812 for Dr. George Cabell, Jr., Bon Aire is a three-part brick country house shaped by Palladian ideas and the classical traditions of early nineteenth-century Virginia.

The pedimented center block rises between lower wings, creating a composition that is formal without becoming grandiose. Flemish-bond brickwork, tall windows, restrained classical detailing, and the long horizontal form give the house an unmistakable presence within its elevated setting.

Inside Bon Aire

Proportion, Woodwork, Arches & Light

The early architecture continues inside. Arched openings, molded keystones, fluted pilasters, original woodwork, substantial doors, wood floors, and late-Federal mantels give the principal rooms both discipline and warmth.

A barrel-vaulted passage draws the eye through the center of the house, while tall windows bring the landscape into rooms defined by proportion and light. Old materials remain quietly present: wood worn by generations, deep openings, balanced rooms, and the changing Virginia countryside beyond the glass.

A Second Residence

The Renovated Cottage

Separate from the main residence is an approximately 1,985-square-foot cottage, built in 1965 and comprehensively renovated.

Exposed beams, wood floors, a substantial brick fireplace, woodstove, renovated kitchen and bath, and a long covered porch give the cottage an identity of its own. Two bedrooms and independent living space make it well suited to guests, extended family, longer stays, or a private second residence within the property.

A short film of Bon Aire

43 Acres · Wingina, Virginia

A Private Setting Above the James River Country

Bon Aire occupies an elevated setting above the James River landscape. Mature trees gather around the residence, while beyond the house the land opens toward fields, distant woods, and the long horizon of southern Nelson County.

The river lies below the property. Trees now veil much of the water itself, but its course remains present in the landscape; on quiet mornings, mist rising above the treetops can trace the river through the valley.

Here, acreage is more than a number attached to the listing. Elevation, privacy, mature trees, open land, views, approach, and the distance between the house and the world beyond it shape the experience of the estate.

A More Rural Way of Living

The Distance Is Part of the Appeal

Bon Aire is genuinely rural. Charlottesville is approximately an hour away, and everyday conveniences are not just around the corner. For the buyer drawn to this property, that distance is not incidental; it is part of what creates the quiet.

Living here asks for a different rhythm. Errands are planned, trips into town become more intentional, and home becomes a place to settle into rather than a point between destinations. In return are privacy, dark skies, little traffic or road noise, open land, mature trees, and a sense of separation that has become increasingly difficult to find.

For someone dreaming of leaving congestion, noise, and the constant movement of more populated areas behind, Bon Aire offers the opportunity to do exactly that.

The adjustment is real, but so is the reward: more space, more quiet, and a landscape that allows daily life to unfold at a different pace.

Beyond the Residence

Working Buildings & Guest Space

Bon Aire retains buildings that speak to the practical life of a country property as well as its formal architecture. An earlier barn now serves as a substantial workshop, joined by additional smaller outbuildings across the property.

Within the main residence, separate terrace-level guest accommodation has its own entrance, kitchenette, and bath. Together, the cottage, guest space, workshop, outbuildings, and acreage broaden the ways Bon Aire can be lived in and used.

Historic Character · Present-Day Living

Thoughtfully Renewed Without Losing the House

Bon Aire has been renovated with unusual sensitivity to what was already here. The kitchen and baths have been updated, floors refinished, plaster repaired, heating and cooling improved, and significant exterior work completed, while the early architecture remains the defining presence of the residence.

Fiber-optic internet and generator capacity bring practical reliability to the rural setting, making Bon Aire equally suited to year-round living, extended stays, or use as a historic Virginia second home.

1980 Virginia Landmarks Register · National Register of Historic Places

An Important House in the Virginia Landscape

Bon Aire was listed in the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Virginia’s Department of Historic Resources identifies the house as a three-part country residence inspired by Palladian forms and notes its relationship to other architecturally distinguished Cabell family houses in the region.

Its significance remains visible. The balanced form of the exterior, early brickwork, surviving interior details, and the residence’s position above the James River landscape allow the architecture and setting to be understood together.

View the Virginia Department of Historic Resources record for Bon Aire →

For the Right Buyer

A Historic Virginia Estate for a Buyer Drawn to Architecture, Land & Privacy

Bon Aire is likely to appeal most strongly to a buyer who sees the complete property: the architecture of the residence, the quiet of the land, the scale and light of the rooms, the separate cottage, useful outbuildings, and the privacy created by 43 acres in southern Nelson County.

It may be lived in as a primary residence, a historic Virginia second home, or a private country retreat. Whatever its use, the reason to choose Bon Aire is found in qualities that would be difficult to reproduce today: early architecture, established land, mature trees, substantial supporting spaces, long views, and more than two centuries of history in one remarkably intact setting.

Bridget Archer of McLean Faulconer, Inc. in Charlottesville, Virginia

1843 Cabell Road · Wingina, Virginia 24599

Private Showings of Bon Aire

Bon Aire is offered for sale at $1,495,000. For additional property information, the complete digital brochure, or to arrange a private showing, contact Bridget Archer at McLean Faulconer, Inc.

Bridget Archer McLean Faulconer, Inc.  ·  434-981-4149

Email Bridget Archer Call 434-981-4149

Explore Central Virginia Country Property

Historic Homes & Country Estates in Central Virginia

Explore historic homes, country estates, acreage, and distinctive rural properties throughout Nelson County, Charlottesville, and Central Virginia.

View Featured Listings & Recent Country Property Sales →