Andalusia in Bensalem, a grand house that glitters with Gilded Age glamour with even grander gardens, recently opened for the season, writes Melissa Jacobs for the Main Line Tonight.

The ancestral home of the Biddles, one of Philadelphia’s first families, was built in 1797 for John and Margaret Craig. The estate was named after the region in Spain where the first owner did a lot of business.

The Federal-style house originally had four rooms and four bedrooms, a basement kitchen, and an attic, where servants’ quarters were located.

Today, Philadelphia’s skyline is visible from Andalusia’s lawn, but when it was first built, the location was quite remote.

“Andalusia was here before railroads, before there was a state road or a town,” said John Vick, Andalusia’s executive director.

“To get here from Philadelphia, people took boats, perhaps ferries or steamships. You’d dock where the river wall recedes, then disembark and proceed to the house.”

The estate is once again stepping into the limelight under Vick’s leadership thanks to a tasteful but effective marketing effort showcasing its beauty to attract more visitors.

The efforts have already paid off as the property recorded a 70 percent increase in overall visitations in 2023.

Read more about the Andalusia mansion and its glamorous intrigue in Main Line Tonight.

The History of Andalusia House & Garden – You Oughta Know (2020)