Sprawled across a corner lot overlooking the Battery and Charleston Harbor, Two Meeting Street, an exquisite Queen Anne Victorian mansion, is a head-turner. Enriched by lush gardens and encircled with a decorative wrought iron fence, it is a showplace admired by everyone passing by.

Built in 1892, the stately home was a wedding gift to Waring and Martha Carrinton from her father, George Williams. The house was purchased from the Carringtons by Minnie Carr in 1946 at which time she began operating it as a guest house. In the early 1980's, the house passed to the Spell family who converted it into a B & B. The current innkeeper, Karen Spell Shaw, is the last owner's great-niece. Only two families have owned Two Meeting Street since it was built over one hundred years ago. As a result, the house remains in tact with the room configurations of the first and second floors remaining as they were in 1890.

As my teen-age daughter Melissa and I arrive around four o'clock one afternoon in mid-January, tea is being served. An inviting mini-buffet of assorted sweets and miniature sandwich await us after we settle in. While enjoying our refreshments in the parlor, hopeful promises are made to return during the spring or summer when a glass of peach or vanilla iced tea can be sipped while enjoying the groomed grardens from the verandah or porch.

There are eight bedrooms at Two Meeting Street; each has a private bath. Tastefully decorated by innkeeper Karen Spell Shaw and her mother Jean Spell, each bedroom has its own special flavor and a designer's touch. There are two honeymoon suites. My favorite bedroom is the Blue Room on the second floor, one of the honeymoon suites. Furnished with a queen-sized canopy bed, the room includes a sofa facing a working fireplace, an antique desk, a turret window with a window seat, a view of the Battery, and access to the second level porch. The third floor is an excellent choice for travelers with children. Ravaged in 1989 by Hurricane Hugo when two chimneys crashed through the roof and ended up on one of the canopy beds, the third floor is now in impeccable order once more. The second and third floors each has a wet bar and a common sitting area where a telephone is available for personal telephone calls. One bedroom suite is on the first floor.

In addition to being furnished and decorated with discriminating taste, the decor of Two Meeting Street is enhanced with special features of the structure itself. The main floor and central stairway are magnificent with richly carved English oak, and many of the floors are accented with inlaid wood. Nine stained glass windows are seen throughout the house. Two of these, located in the parlor, are Tiffany ones original to the house. The Czechoslovakian crystal chandelier in the main hall and the beveled leaded glass in the front doors are also original.

My favorite feature in the house is the exquisite built-in breakfront in the dining room. It is incomparable. Even though the house features family antiques, heirlooms, and Oriental rugs, Two Meeting Street is not stuffy or over-furnished. The elegance at this first-rate inn is relaxed.

As my daughter and I return from our evening meal, we are greeted by the aroma of muffins floating up the stairs. The memory of that aroma makes getting up the next morning easy. Breakfast consists of a fruit compote, homemade raspberry muffins (the ones we smelled the night before), juice, and coffee. During warmer months, guests receive their breakfast served on the verandah or in the flower-ladened garden

Karen Spell Shaw, the pretty young innkeeper, and her mother Jean provide excellent concierge service for their guests. Jean is involved in providing tours and knowledgeable about where to go, what to see, what to do. Because of Two Meeting Street Inn's convenient location, guests may walk to many of Charleston's historic sites and restaurants. Two Meeting Street provides an experience most guests want to repeat as often as possible. Well-behaved children eight and over are welcomed.

INN: Two Meeting Street; LOCATION: 2 Meeting St., Charleston, SC 29401; 803-723-7322; ACCOMMODATIONS: 9 guest rooms, each with a private bath; SMOKING: no; RATES: $115--$205; BREAKFAST: Contintental (also afternoon refreshments); RECOMMENDED RESTAURANTS: Too many to name; WEB SITE: www.innbook.com/meeting.html

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