Warner House

Since starting the blog in May 2022, I have methodically visited historic houses, museums, parks, and quick history stops throughout New England, marching steadily toward the unattainable goal of “Seeing Everything”. Warner House was the only historic house open for public tours that I had not visited during my annual pilgrimage to Portsmouth. The building has even been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1966. While I have no more properties to explore, I plan to return for boat tours, along with traveling farther north to Kittery, in the coming year.

A three-story red brick, coastal New England, Georgian style mansion A vinyl sign attached to a metal pole with the words Warner House and an oil portrait of a young women wearing a mid-18th century style yellow dress A square metal plaque that reads in part Macpheadris-Warner House has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places
An early 18th century mural of a woman spinning, a dog, a bear, and birds. A tall stairwell with a three-wall mural including an angel talking to a man with a sword, a pair of Native American chiefs, and a redcoat soldier riding a horse. A larger parlor paint sparkly blue

From the outside, Warner House looks much like the other red brick, coastal New England, Georgian style mansions that I have visited. The building was constructed between 1716 and 1718, celebrating its 300th birthday just a few years ago. Local architect John Drew is credited as the designer. The first owner was Scots-Irish sea captain Archibald Macpheadris, born in Londonderry, Ireland in 1680. Macpheadris was an interesting character, and he recorded episodes from his life in murals painted inside his house. The local painter was likely Nehemiah Partridge of Portsmouth, believed to use the moniker “The Schyler Limner” who completed his work during the two years after the house was built, making these the oldest surviving Anglo-American murals in the country. Other rare examples of Partridge’s work belong to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. He is buried at Point of Graves just down the road from Warner House, which I have referenced during previous articles about Portsmouth.

A vinyl banner attached to metal construction scaffolding that reading in part The Cupola Project and includes a photograph of the cupola A three-story red brick Georgian style building with an attached one-story red brick addition. A round metal sundial affixed to a concrete pedestal
A magazine on a table opened to an article about the smalt room, including a high resolution photograph of the room. A small cardboard model of a red brick Georgian style mansion, about one foot square A wood paneled room with an oil portrait of a mid-17th century man hung over the rare pink delft tile fireplace.

As for the paintings themselves, the highly knowledgeable tour guide told two engaging stories about their origin. One detailed a harrowing event during the childhood of Macpheadris. During the Glorious Revolution and subsequent Williamite War in Ireland from 1688 to 1691, Catholic forces supporting King James II of England were overthrown by Protestant forces supporting his daughter Mary II and her husband William III of Orange, the Netherlands. While the initial revolution was “bloodless”, fighting soon followed. The summer-long siege of Derry, another name for Macpheadris’ hometown, started the Williamite War in 1689. The people of Derry might have starved if not for Lieutenant-General Percy Kirke who sent ships filled with food. The redcoat soldier riding a horse is believed to be him.

A wooden paneled fireplace painted robin's egg blue. A rectangular mirror hangs over the fireplace, catching my reflection as I stand between the tour guide and my dad. An eight foot tall wooden drawers with a book case at top enclosed by glass doors. A large room with white paint and red curtains. 18th century oil portraits hang on the walls, while a crystal glass chandelier hangs from the ceiling.
An early 18th century oil portrait of a middle-aged woman wearing an elegant yellow dress. Late 18th century portrait of a wealthy woman wearing a white and purple dress. Oil painting of a girl of 10-12 years old wearing a bright yellow dress and holding a bird.

Another mural portrays a pair of Native American chiefs from the area. They were political allies with Macpheadris, who wanted to clear cut the timber found in the land of their mutual enemies. In 1710, these men joined two other chiefs and traveled to Great Britain to meet with Queen Anne on the behalf of the Iroquois Confederacy and Mohicans. The men became celebrities and received the royal treatment, which included dining with members of high society, having their portrait painted by Anglo-Dutch artist John Verelst (now in the Portrait Gallery of Canada), and attending a performance of Macbeth. Thanks to this trip, Queen Anne led her full support to annihilating their rivals, allowing Macpheadris to clear cut the land and make his fortune, giving him enough money to build this mansion in Portsmouth. This wealth also won over one of the richest women of Portsmouth, Sarah Wentworth, daughter of Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts John Wentworth and sister of first Royal Governor of New Hampshire Benning Wentworth. (His rambling yellow house is now a state park, which I visited in 2023.) The only surviving Macpheadris child was Mary Macpheadris Osborne Warner, who married local merchant Jonathan Warner and adopted his daughter, Mary “Polly” Warner. Their portraits hang in the house.

An 18th century crystal glass chandelier handing from the ceiling in a whitewashed room. Three oil paints of men wearing 18th century clothing A wooden arch splits the atrium near the front door and the grand staircase.
Brick fireplace with a gear and rope contraption for cooking meat. Metal contraption of gears, rope, and pulleys used to spin a spit with meat. A wooden cupola surrounded by metal scaffolding.

A few more surprises appeared throughout the space. One room was painted with bright blue smalt, a sparkly material to make the room glimmer in candlelight. The expert on smalt was Portsmouth resident Joyce Geary Volk, who passed away in 2015. Fortunately, she had written extensively about the lost decorative art, and the museum had a magazine article to peruse. Down in the original kitchen, I found an elaborate pully, gears, and rope system called a roasting jack, which acted like a timer for turning meat over the open fire. This sounds delicious to me, but I also love my safe modern air fryer. The rest of the house has reproduction decor, period furniture, and oil portraits of family members, similar to those found in other historic houses around Portsmouth. Once back outside, we stopped to look at the original cupola, which was being restored by Preservation Timber Framing of Berwick, ME. An update on the museum social media accounts announced that the cupola was rededicated about two months ago, a project well done.

A green-painted wood paneled fireplace with an oil painting of a merchant ship set on the mantel A tallboy or wooden chest of drawers on long wooden legs. A square wooden table with matching chairs. The table is covered with a green cloth with books, paper, inkwells, a quill pen, and candles on top.

Warner House is currently closed for the winter and spring but plans to be open from June to mid-October. Tours are guided and take place between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. with the final tour departing at 3:30 p.m. Tours generally take about forty-five minutes. The guide who led my tour had enough fascinating stories for many hours, and I would love to see a documentary about the house, along with reading his upcoming book once it is published. Admission to the house is $10 for adults; $8 for seniors; $5 for children ages 6 to 18; and $0 for kids under 6, museum members, Blue Star families, and Museums for All card holders. Staff members quickly reply to emails. The recently renovated Carriage House gift shop and first floor of the museum are accessible to those using a wheelchair or with limited mobility, but the second floor is only accessible via stairs. Chairs are provided as needed, a rare accommodation that I really appreciated. Lighting was dim in some areas of the house. My group parked at a free lot and took a leisurely walk through Portsmouth, which was an enjoyable trip on a breezy, sunny summer day. Extensive traveling directions are found on the Visit page of the website. For seasoned house tour enthusiasts looking for something out of the ordinary, this is a must-see in New England.




Abby Epplett’s Rating System

Experience: 8/10

Accessibility: 8/10



Location: 150 Daniel St, Portsmouth, NH 03802, USA