Ampthill (Chesterfield County)

Ampthill Plantation was located in the Virginia Colony in Chesterfield County on the south bank of the James River about four miles south of the head of navigation at modern-day Richmond, Virginia. Built by Henry Cary about 1730, it was just upstream of Falling Creek. It was later owned by Colonel Archibald Cary, who maintained a flour mill complex and iron forge at the nearby town of Warwick.

Port town of Warwick

Warwick was an 18th century port town that was located on the south bank of the James River, near the confluence of Falling Creek. Warwick was an important port and manufacturing center. During the American Revolutionary War, Warwick's craftsmen turned out clothing and shoes, and its mills ground flour and meal for the Continental troops stationed at Chesterfield Courthouse. On April 30, 1781, General Benedict Arnold's British troops burned the town, destroying ships, warehouses, mills, tannery storehouses, and ropewalks. The Lost Town of Warwick no longer exists, but its place in history is noted on a Virginia Historical Marker nearby.

Warwick Road

The Warwick Road led from the port town past Amptill Plantation and across the northern portion of Chesterfield County to the area of present-day Bon Air. There, it intersected what was called the River Road, which ran closely along the south bank in a westerly direction. The Warwick Road and the River Road in combination formed a portage from the deep water tidal James River around the falls, rapids, and dams of Richmond to the river west of the there, where it is more shallow. The upper James River was navigable with craft such as bateau boats for many miles to the west.

House moved, property becomes industrial site

In 1929, Ampthill House, the manor house of Ampthill Plantation, was dismantled, moved to a site on Cary Street Road in the West End of Richmond, and reassembled where it sits today. Although it is not open-to-the-public, Ampthill House is a noteworthy local landmark, and is marked by a Virginia Historical Marker.

The former plantation property on the James River near Falling Creek is occupied by the Spruance Plant and related industrial complex of the DuPont Company.