Thursday, July 16, 2015

Paying A Visit To Earnscliffe

Earnscliffe is a National Historic Site of Canada, as well as the residence of the British High Commissioner. Built between 1855 and 1857, it was also the home of our first Prime Minister, John A. Macdonald, for many years up to his death. It was a popular spot for Doors Open, and I'm finishing up the series from here with three days of posts.


The beautiful Victorian manor is built of local limestone, and stands on Sussex Drive overlooking the Ottawa River.


The gardens are particularly well kept.

46 comments:

  1. Worthy history - and good pics, William!





    Aloha

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  2. Love the purple next to the white. However, I would not want my last name to be MacDonald. Unless I read that wrong.

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  3. This really is a historic and wonderful at the same time house.

    Tomás.

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  4. A beautiful mansion and a lovely garden, both perfectly kept!

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  5. There are certainly worse places to live! ;-)

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  6. A beautiful house and well kept gardens, perfect !

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  7. Looks and sounds like somewhere here in England. Beautiful!

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  8. Oh,I love this very much -very nice house

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  9. What a lovely old house, inside as well as out. Lovely gardens too. Thank you for sharing this.

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  10. I enjoyed to see all the interesting houses from the inside and the outside. Thanks for sharing.

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  11. Beautiful place William. Love the garden. Thank you.

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  12. la maison est tres belle, j'aime cette architecture

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  13. wow, now that is the life. i want to move it. or at least visit. what a beauty. my kind of style of home ... oh to be rich. something i would build if i had the funds. it would have to have a spectacular view too. away from the city and quiet. ( :

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  14. Such a lovely home and garden. Love the two hanging pots of flowers on each side of the front door.

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  15. John A. had a major influence in developing this country. It's great that his home has been preserved. It's a great show piece.

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  16. @Cloudia: thank you!

    @Whisk: these days, no, but it is a slightly different spelling of the name!

    @Oakland: It certainly is.

    @Tomas: it was a pleasure to visit. The place regularly participates in Doors Open- not every year, but often.

    @VP: yes, the gardeners do great work.

    @Halcyon: it's got itself a splendid view and good neighbours- the Rowing Club, the Delegation, and Foreign Affairs are all in this area with it.

    @Karl: thank you!

    @Lauren: I certainly thought so.

    @Broconte: thank you.

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  17. @Denise: you're welcome!

    @Marianne: you're welcome. It's been fun touring these places.

    @Luis: thanks!

    @Olivier: I like it too.

    @Norma: it certainly is!

    @Beth: it did seem quiet there, even though you're not really out of the city.

    @Tex: definitely!

    @Nancy: so did I.

    @Red: it's beautifully taken care of. And wonderful that the High Commissioner is kind to participate in the event.

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  18. Beautiful place. I love the limestone.

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  19. I really like that house! Too bad it isn't a bed and breakfast! :)

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  20. What a fabulous place. The commissioner must love living there. I would.

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  21. I think that's my favourite place so far in this doors open series!

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  22. What a gorgeous house and gardens!

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  23. The first and the third photo are my favorites. It's a beautiful building and the garden looks lovely with all the fresh green

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  24. @Sharon: so did I.

    @Judy: alas, no!

    @Revrunner: I did too.

    @Stuart: it seemed very comfortable inside, like a proper home.

    @Linda: I thought so!

    @Ciel: I knew I wanted to end my series with this place. It seemed very fitting.

    @RedPat: it certainly is.

    @Marleen: and more of it to come.

    @Jan: it's well cared for.

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  25. That's a beautiful house, a person would be very lucky to live there...

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  26. Fanytastic house and fantastic grounds. I'm glad I don't have to clean that one!

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  27. This house is exceptional. I would love to see it. Some Victorian Gothic structures are overdone to the point of ugliness, but this one is just right.

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  28. Looks like a place I'd like to visit.

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  29. I'm looking forward to more. It is just the sort of home I'd imagine a prime minister to have in the late 1805s. Very fine.

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  30. Wow, what a fantastic place! Great and beautiful details around the main entrance.
    Just BEAUTIFUL!!

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  31. That's a cracking looking place - imagine living in it!

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  32. That is a beautiful old home. I love the stone houses of Ontario, even if a Prime Minister didn't live in one.

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  33. @Geoff: lucky indeed!

    @Mari: they must have help come in to clean the interior.

    @Randy: they certainly are.

    @Jack: there are places in this area that are a lot like this- the Rockcliffe and New Edinburgh neighbourhoods are to the east, and they've got quite a good deal of Victorian architecture.

    @Linda: it was a pleasure to show the place.

    @Kay: Macdonald was quite a character.

    @Gunn: thank you!

    @Mike: it does feel quite like a home, as opposed to a museum, which some places might have the sensibility.

    @Orvokki: it certainly is.

    @EG: mine could never be.

    @Pamela: they have a whole lot of character, old stone homes.

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  34. Even the entrance area looks stately on this grand place. And the views of the river from the top floor must be magnificent.

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  35. The Manor is spectacular . Everything is so spotless.

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