With its sectioned massing, Battersea, on the western edge of the city of Petersburg, displays perhaps best the Anglo-Palladian influence on Virginia’s finer colonial plantation houses. The elegant but compact house was built in 1768 for Colonel John Banister, the first mayor of Petersburg, a Revolutionary delegate, congressman, and framer of the Articles of Confederation. Remodeled more than once, the house displays three-part windows and much trim, both inside and out, which dates from the early 19th century. The elaborate Chinese lattice stair, however, based on a published design by the English architect William Halfpenny, is original and is the finest example of its type in the state. The center block at one time had a two-level portico, of which parts of the lower tier remain. Despite the development of much of the plantation’s former acreage (see the North Battersea/Pride’s Field Historic District), the house preserves a rural setting along the Appomattox River. Battersea is owned and exhibited by the city of Petersburg.

Additional documentation for Battersea was approved by the registers in 2006.  Battersea was built in 1768 for Colonel John Banister.   Between 1823 and 1847, the Palladian form house was enhanced on the interior and exterior.  The resulting distinctive evolution features highly crafted Roman Classical (Palladian), Federal and Greek Revival architectural details that rank as outstanding examples for Virginia and the Mid Atlantic states.  Owners of Battersea after 1847 made no significant architectural or stylistic changes. This updated nomination includes a detailed inventory of the historic resources on the 35.5-acre property, information detailing archaeological research, and clarification of periods, areas and levels of significance that had been roughly noted in the original 1969 nomination. Battersea is listed at the national level of significance for its architecture, and at the state and local levels of significance in the areas of Politics/Government, Military, and Historic Archaeology (Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal).
[VLR Approved: 12/7/2005 & 4/12/2006; NRHP Approved: 1/27/2006, 5/26/2006 & 9/14/2006]