"Overlooking the Potomac River in Westmoreland County, Virginia, this historic 18th century home was designed as part of a self-sufficient plantation complex, almost a sovereign community unto itself.

"...Stratford Hall is remarkable as a forthright, distinctive variation of the Georgian style. Its formal, elegant design mandates its place among the great mansions of the nation.

"Ninety feet from east to west, the main house of Stratford was designed in the shape of an 'H', a massive center block forming the middle crossbar and matching strong rectangular-shaped wings on either side. Also known as the 'Great House', this structure was in turn served by four outlying dependencies constructed at equal distances from each of its four corners. The north front faces the river; the south side overlooks a wall dividing the manicured lawn adjacent to the house from grazing pasture and meadow beyond."

— Doris Lockerman Kennedy, ed. Historic Houses of the South. p2.