Sewickley -- Darlington-Barbour Garden

The Darlington-Barbour Garden is part of the original estate established by the Binns family in the late 1800s when it was called Highlawn. In 1919, Pittsburgh industrialist Henry Darlington, Jr. bought the property and renamed it Skipton. The Darlingtons hired Pittsburgh architect Benno Janssen (1874-1964) to renovate the estate, design and build a garage and three servant cottages. After World War II, the 36-acre property was redeveloped. The house was torn down, but the garage and three servant cottages were preserved. In 1989, Sewickley Heights Borough was granted historic district status by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The property now comprises 10 and a half acres. Extensive work and re-grading have been done to the landscape to create level areas and slopes. A walled garden was created next to the chauffeur's cottage. The cottage next to the walled garden was reworked extensively to fix drainage issues and to remove old steps. Ornamental plantings were chosen for the two walled gardens, including the parterre garden. In 2020, a new swimming pool replaced an existing oval swimming pool, and a new pool house was added. Additional plantings around all the structures were chosen to respect a sense of connection between this property and the historic Sewickley Heights district. Garden file includes a plant list and a garden features map.

Persons associated with the garden's design: Elise Keely (landscape architect, 2008-); Benno Janssen (architect, 1919); George Pegher (arborist).

Highlawn and Skipton, formerly known as.