Before getting started today, have a peek at my partner in crime Norma's page, where she has been busy of late with Photo Lab and Sketch Photo playing around with images, including one of my recent photos.
Rideau Hall is the official residence of the Governor General of Canada. The property was originally home starting in 1838 to Thomas McKay, who I mentioned the other day. Coming from Sussex Drive, there are two gates for entry, the main gate and this one, the original gate. The building was the gate lodge for the estate, when this was the main entrance, and was for many years home to the estate's head gardener. Today it is a visitor centre and a good place to start a tour.
There are nearly eighty acres of land here, and much of that is open to the public. The land includes a cricket pitch, where a game was being played the day I came up. It's a game that never really caught on in North America, though other former British colonies like India have really taken to it.
A rose garden is nearby, with benches, shade, and a lovely water fountain.
More from this place in the days to come.
Beautiful place. It was nice to walk there with you.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful gardens. I especially like that fountain.
ReplyDeleteIt is a lovely park, with not too many people around...
ReplyDeleteIt does look like a great place to go for a walk and you had a lovely day to take your photos. I wonder why cricket never did take off in America. Might be something to do with the pace of the game. I don't know.
ReplyDeleteI've always found gate lodges very appealing for some reason. Lovely series of garden images William with a gorgeous reflection as a finale!
ReplyDeleteLovely garden, cricket is one of the most boring sports I think, it is no issue here either.
ReplyDeleteWait just a moment while I go grab my sweater and cap. :-)
ReplyDeletelovely garden!
ReplyDeleteIndeed, a lovely place to stroll. Especially in this weather!
ReplyDeleteJanis
GDP
I'm not familiar with cricket, but maybe I'll enjoy once I learn the rule. I love the rose garden...looks so beautiful and peaceful. It must look really gorgeous with blooming roses!
ReplyDeleteYou have several photographs I'd like to experiment with!
ReplyDeleteNice series of garden images, William !
ReplyDeleteThis is a lovely place to enjoy a stroll and also for taking photos.
ReplyDeleteI love to stroll through the Rose garden. I see no blooming roses though.
ReplyDeleteMB
I had no idea that the GG's residence was 80 acres. I understand the gates, You've given a good background to this residence.
ReplyDeleteI do love a nice garden!
ReplyDelete@Orvokki: thank you!
ReplyDelete@Halcyon: and there's another fountain yet to come!
@VP: well, people tend to spread out fairly well here. There were quite a number when I did the tour inside the Hall.
@Lauren: it's a game that baffles me- in Canada we took to hockey, while in the States it was baseball.
@Grace: this gate lodge still sees good use!
@Marianne: and yet there were players enjoying themselves. I had no idea there were that many in the city that one could organize teams.
@Revrunner: perhaps for fall!
@Hilary: I thought so too.
@Janis: it was a pleasant enough day that day.
ReplyDelete@Tamago: the garden did have a nice serene feel to it.
@Norma: by all means!
@Karl: thanks!
@Nancy: I took over a hundred shots while I was here!
@MB: I should have taken a closeup of one or two of them, which as fate would have it, I didn't.
@Red: it's quite a lot of land.
@Sharon: me too.
And the British would love to go back to the days of the empire.
ReplyDeleteWhat a delightful area to stroll. Lots of benches and things to look at around the greenery. Thanks for the link to Norma. Ya, I checked it out.
ReplyDeleteGreat place for a walk. Love the reflections in the last shot.
ReplyDeleteA rather massive park for the people. I love it. Sorry about the crickets. I hear them sometimes at night in the summer but that's about all I know of them. We were a really dumb British colony!
ReplyDeleteawesome garden. what a great expense & time to keep it looking so great! ( :
ReplyDeleteNow that's what I call a wonderfull garden, or should I call it a park?
ReplyDeleteThe garden is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteA lovely place to stroll in a garden such as this.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, I'd love to sit on that bench.
ReplyDeleteI love the reflections in your last photo! :)
ReplyDelete@Mo: oh, yes.
ReplyDelete@Birdman: this was my first ever visit to Rideau Hall in all the time I've been here. It was quite a surprise, and I'm kicking myself for not turning up sooner!
@Karen: thank you!
@Lowell: hah!
@Beth: they've no doubt got quite a staff on hand to keep things going.
@Jan: a little of both!
@RedPat: I quite agree.
@Denise: it is, yes.
@Whisk: me too!
@Linda: thank you!
Great gardens William, I'd settle for the lodge house!
ReplyDeleteGreat place to walk, William!
ReplyDeleteALOHA
ComfortSpiral
=^..^=
what a beautiful garden to stroll through!
ReplyDeletenice park-like atmosphere.
ReplyDeletegardens are a wonderful place to be
ReplyDeletethank you for sharing this one
@Geoff: me too!
ReplyDelete@Cloudia: it certainly is.
@Tanya: very calm and serene there.
@Tex: indeed!
@Tammie: you're welcome.
Beautiful grounds! I would say football, baseball, hockey, soccer, and, yes, the North America rodeos are enough. We don't need cricket too.
ReplyDeleteLovely place to stroll or just sit and relax.
ReplyDeleteA place Canadians can be proud to show off!
ReplyDeleteI must admit, I've never been!
ReplyDeleteDid you capture the area on an off day as evidenced by the lack of pedestrian traffic? This is a beautiful setting.
ReplyDeleteTruly lovely gardens! That's quite a large patch of land for a city dwelling.
ReplyDeleteCharming gardens! Love that last shot!
ReplyDelete@Mari: and then there's rugby...
ReplyDelete@Lois: it certainly is!
@EG: indeed!
@Jennifer: you should come up and take it in.
@Beatrice: no, I was just judicious in how I photographed. There were people around, but by and large I tended to photograph without people in shots.
@Kay: it really is. It's probably the biggest property in town that's essentially a residence.
@Linda: thank you!