Kensington Mansion
in the 1890s

Built between 1852-1854 by Charleston architects Jones and Lee for the very wealthy Col. Mathew Richard Singleton and his wife Martha Rutledge Kinloch, Kensington Mansion was situated on more than 4000 acres in lower Richland County. Named for Martha's Georgetown County home, Kensington was most unusual for rural South Carolina. Singleton's love of European architecture caused him to build his very own Italian "villa" along the Wateree River.

Although Mathew Richard Singleton died before the Mansion was completed, Martha and her three children moved into their beautiful new home. For the next 50 years, Kensington was the center of the family's work and social life. Children grew to adulthood, marriages took place, babies were born. Kensington was home and, in the 1890s, the Singleton family took several photographs of their home.

Side Views

The formal gardens surrounding Kensington Mansion