With its private beach, awe-inspiring ocean view and 10 luxurious bedrooms, Taylor Swift‘s $17m Rhode Island mansion is arguably the perfect place to weather a PR storm.
Or at least, that’s the approach Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have taken amid with The Ends with us backlash.
The A-List couple were pictured sharing a kiss outside the pop star’s sprawling beachside mansion yesterday as Ryan arrived at the pop star’s pool party.
Over the past few weeks, Blake has been criticised online for promoting her alcohol brand Betty Buzz alongside the film about domestic violence and how she appeared to make light of its serious subject matter in interviews.
But Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds aren’t the only celebrities who have retreated to Taylor’s holiday home lately.
Since Taylor purchased the property in 2013, the pop star has welcomed countless A-List guests – including ex-boyfriends Tom Hiddleston, Calvin Harris and Joe Jonas – to the mansion and hosted several of her famous ‘Taymerica’ 4th July parties.
Meanwhile, members of her disbanded girl squad – including Gigi Hadid, Selena Gomez and Cara Delevingne – are also Rhode Island regulars.
So why is Rhode Island such a special place for Taylor and her pals? Here FEMAIL delves into the star’s history with the beachside mansion and how it’s become a haven for her celebrity guests in crisis.
‘Purchased through a single wire transfer’
When she was just 23 years old, Taylor Swift set her sights on the 11,000sqft estate – which was on the market for $17.75m.
The pop sensation – who had recently released the album Red – is said to have paid for the property in full via a single wire transfer, according to TMZ.
At the time, it was reported Taylor initially expressed interest in the property as it was close to her ex-boyfriend Connor Kennedy’s family home in nearby Newport.
However, Taylor was pictured moving into the mansion with her father Scott in May 2013 – when her split from Connor was confirmed by People magazine in October 2012.
Taylor told Vanity Fair that year: ‘People say that about me, that I apparently buy houses near every boy I like—that’s a thing that I apparently do.
‘If I like you I will apparently buy up the real-estate market just to freak you out so you leave me.’
Neighbourhood Feud
However, it wasn’t long until Taylor’s arrival in the exclusive Watch Hill neighbourhood ruffled feathers among the community.
Shortly after moving in, the star began rebuilding a seawall on the beach in front of the mansion.
The construction project, which began with no public notice, made some neighbors and longtime residents of the area furious because it restricts access to a public beach and interferes with fishermen and surfers who have been using the stretch of sand for generations.
‘I don’t know how the hell they let her do this without approval or nothing,’ a furious Richard Bishop told MailOnline at the time.
Pete Silva who was born and raised in the nearby town of Westerly, Rhode Island, said that the construction covers up years of history.
He also claimed the seawall had been a popular spot for teenagers to hangout for longer than he’s been alive. It had also become a makeshift memorial of sorts of for his friend Trevor Johnson, who drowned there in 2004.
That summer, Taylor also had a sign put up on the beach – warning trespassers to keep off the beach.
The sign uses the lyrics: ‘I knew you were trouble when you walked in,’ before reading underneath in bold capital letters: ‘NO TRESPASSING.’
According to local journalist Julie Tremaine, Taylor’s arrival in the neighbourhood caused divisions in the community.
Writing for Vulture, she explained: ‘The thing about Watch Hill is that it’s where wealthy people who don’t want the commotion of the Hamptons or Nantucket go to keep themselves tastefully tucked away. But you can’t “tuck away” one of pop music’s biggest forces.’
Inspired by former owner and disgraced New York socialite
However, it seems that Taylor may have channeled these neighbourhood feuds into her work.
In July 2020, Taylor Swift released her Grammy-award winning album Folklore – which featured a song referencing socialite Rebekah Harkness, who previously owned her Rhode Island home.
In the Disney+ documentary Folklore: Long Pond Studio Sessions, Taylor explained how she wanted to write a song about Rebekah since she bought the mansion in 2013.
Labelling The Last Great American Dynasty a ‘deeply personal song’ for Taylor, the star’s producer Jack Antonoff – who has been working with her since her 1989 album – said: ‘That song is such a Folklore moment to me because it’s not about you but it’s all about you.’
The track details the socialite’s struggle to fit into the ‘Rhode Island set’ and, as Taylor wrote in Folklore’s liner notes, how she got ‘getting gleeful revenge on the town that cast her out.’
Taylor’s Rhode Island home – which was known as ‘Holiday House’ in the 1940s – was once owned by Rebekah and her husband William Harkness, a Standard Oil heir who was one of the wealthiest men in America.
In 1947, the newlywed couple purchased the 40-room mansion, where Rebekah entertained Salvador Dalí, her personal yogi B.K.S. Iyengar and her pet raccoon.
Married just seven years, Harkness inherited her husband’s vast fortune after he died from a heart attack in 1953. In widowhood, she renovated the Rhode Island mansion to accommodate 8 kitchens and 21 bathrooms, an arrangement that ‘effectively kept her from having to see her three children on anything like a regular basis,’ said the New York Times.
Though she was a gifted sculptor, composer and generous patron of the ballet; it’s the more lurid details of Harkness’ life that have come to define her legacy.
She once rang J. D. Salinger’s doorbell dressed as a cleaning lady. She also spiked the punch at her sister’s debutante ball with mineral oil.
She cleaned her pool with Dom Perignon, dyed chocolate mousse blue and made enemies when she dyed her neighbor’s cat lime-green in revenge. She killed her goldfish by filling the tank with scotch and took pleasure in moving massive amounts of money between bank accounts in order to confuse her accountants.
With millions to burn her life descended into chaos and excess, defined by drugs, insanity, suicide, subsequent marriages, and homes all around the world. She indulged in the luxuries her frugal dead husband frowned upon: a ski chalet in Switzerland, a palatial penthouse in Madison Avenue’s exclusive Westbury Hotel, endless amounts of champagne and curious ‘vitamin B injections’ from New York’s infamous Dr. Feelgood.
In 1961, Rebekah Harkness decided to sink her excess money into the the Robert Joffrey ballet company that was run by celebrated choreographer Jerome Robbins at the time. In requisite fashion, she did it in ‘grand – if occasionally Marie Antoinette-ish -style,’ reported the New York Times.
Taylor’s lyrics read: ‘[She] blew through the money on the boys and the ballet.’
Site of Tom Hiddleston’s viral declaration of love 
In 2016, Tom Hiddleston sent fans into a frenzy when he publicly declared his love for Taylor during a stay at her Rhode Island home.
The couple – who dated for three months that summer – were pictured frolicking in the ocean while Tom wore an ‘I <3 T.S’ tank.
On top of this, the actor also had his arm branded with a temporary tattoo of a loveheart bearing singer’s initials.
Taylor also had a temporary inking on her arm, but stopped short of a reciprocal ‘TH’.
The infatuated duo could not seem to keep their hands off each other as they embraced and kissed in the crystalline waves.
Looking like a pair of giddy teenagers, they grinned broadly as they put on the soppy show for their famous posse.
Following their break-up, Tom told GQ that he had worn the tank top to protect himself from the sun.
He explained: ‘The truth is, it was the Fourth of July and a public holiday and we were playing a game and I slipped and hurt my back.
‘And I wanted to protect the graze from the sun and said, “Does anyone have a T-shirt?” And one of her friends said, “I’ve got this” … And we all laughed about it. It was a joke.’
‘Taymerica’ Fourth of July Parties
Taylor Swift is known not only for her impressive song catologue and sell-out Eras tour performances – but also for her sensational 4th of July parties.
Making for an iconic tradition, almost every Independence Day the 34-year-old pop star gathers together all of her A-List pals at her Rhode Island residence to host an extremely star-studded bash.
The hitmaker’s girl gang members such as Selena Gomez, Blake Lively, and Gigi Hadid are usually in attendance, as well as a few famous exes such as Tom Hiddleston popping up over the years.
The Pennsylvania-born star put together the annual event at her New England residence for the first time more than a decade ago and then continued every year until Donald Trump became president, before bringing it back last year.
She shared with The Guardian in August 2019 that after the 2016 election, she didn’t host her ‘Taymerica’ soirées on account of her ‘disillusionment’ with America.
Taylo marked her first 4th July in the house by hosting a low-key Independence Day bash.
The first gathering consisted only of her crew and dancers from the Red Tour, before she extended the invite to some of her celebrity besties a year later.
Taylor’s 2014 patriotic soirée saw her hire out a giant slip and slide and take a trip to the beach, with the likes of Emma Stone, Jaime King, Lena Dunham, and Andrew Garfield in attendance.
They all posed for a ‘family portrait’ at her luxury to evidence the occasion and followed it up with another group shot on a fancy yacht the next day.
The singer took things up a notch in 2015 when she welcomed a slew of America’s biggest stars, and her then-boyfriend Calvin Harris.
Photos posted to social media by those in attendance made it clear that the weekend was filled with everything from cake to swimsuits to patriotic cakes.
Those attending the backyard pool party included Ed Sheeran, Gigi Hadid, Joe Jonas, Serayah, the Haim sisters, Nick Jonas, and Martha Hunt.
Gigi and Joe apparently brought some incredible party favours for the guests, providing American flag-decorated onesies for everyone.
A photo posted by Martha made it clear that everyone got into the proper holiday spirit in those clothes.
In one snap, Ed Sheeran posed proudly in a red military jacket of the type that might have been worn by the British army during the American Revolution.
‘When Ed shows up in a red coat for the 4th of July because he just can’t let it go,’ Taylor wrote to caption an Instagram on Saturday.
Taylor also shared a lovey-dovey photo of herself getting a piggyback ride from Calvin along with the caption: ‘Friendly relations between Scotland and America.’
However, in 2017, the pop star chose to skip her annual bash due to political reasons and there was no sign of any celebrities in Watch Hill.
The pause lasted until last year, and it also coincided with her relationship with Joe Alwyn, which lasted between 2017 and Spring 2023.
Just when fans thought the Independence Day parties were a thing of the past, Taylor returned last year to reignite the time-honoured tradition, following her split with Joe Alwyn.
At the first party since her iconic 2016 bash, the star brought ‘Taymerica’ back on a smaller scale.
She surprised fans by sharing a slew of snaps on Instagram after the event, captioned: ‘Happy belated Independence Day from your local neighborhood independent girlies,’ which could have also been a hint at her newfound single life.
In attendance at the Rhode Island beach house were members of the singer’s girl gang, including bestie Selena Gomez, the Haim sisters, and Sydney Ness, and stylist Ashley Avignone.
The group were pictured sprawled across the grass in swimsuits as they celebrated the national holiday.
Taylor also shared some Polaroid snaps, which included one of her lovingly hugging Selena, and another of the group dancing around in her kitchen.
The post racked up more than 9.2 million likes from Taylor’s 283 million followers.
Celebrity haven in a crisis
She knows all too well what it’s like to be cancelled on the internet – so it’s hardly surprising that Taylor Swift has welcomed Blake Lively to Rhode Island this week with open arms.
However, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds aren’t the only celebrities who have been enjoying some time away from the spotlight at Taylor’s holiday house this weekend.
Taylor Swift, her boyfriend Travis Kelce and NFL star Patrick Mahomes were pictured on one of the mansion’s balconies – suggesting that Patrick’s wife Brittany is also in attendance.
The presence of Brittany comes at a potentially-difficult time, just hours after she liked a Donald Trump post on social media, sparking huge backlash.
While Taylor has not publicly backed either Kamala Harris or Trump ahead of November’s election, she previously endorsed President Joe Biden in 2020.
On Friday, Patrick Mahomes’ wife received plenty of criticism from fans for liking a post from the former president on Instagram. Eagle-eyes users spotted the soon-to-be mother of three double-tapping a post mapping out 16 of Trump’s policies as he bids for a second run at the White House.
However, the resurfaced tweet shows Mahomes unamused with Trump during his presidency and at the height of athletes protesting racial injustice by taking a knee during the national anthem.
‘Trump, you have now offended waaaay too many people,’ she wrote on September 24, 2017.
Locals and fans were quick to realize the pop sensation had returned after dozens of armed guards were spotted along the perimeter of the property.
Taylor’s security shooed fans dying for a glimpse of The Eras Tour star away, but not before they snapped a selfie on her driveway.
One group even went up to the guards offering them $50 to catch a glimpse of the star and her beau.
