Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Dropping In At Abbotsford House

Abbotsford House is in the Glebe. It first sprang to life as a farmhouse in 1872, serving later in the century as a home for the aged. Named after the home of Sir Walter Scott, Abbotsford today is a senior citizen's community centre, flanked by a retirement home and a nursing home. Abbotsford is quite active in the community, and a regular feature at Doors Open. Inside there were displays of the history of the place, complete with period communion glasses and spittoons (how often does one see those anymore?). There were also ladies working on teddy bears, which are sold later in the year during a Christmas sale weekend.

I will be stepping away from the Doors Open series for a few days to cover some other things, but we will return to it.

31 comments:

  1. What a great tour! Thanks so much for sharing, William!

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  2. Very right and proper for Canada's seniors!

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  3. A spittoon, yak!, that must have been so awfull to clean up them....

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  4. Thank you for the wonderful tour William. I haven't see a spittoon in ages, they are nasty but lots of people used them in the day.

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  5. love the quilt and the teddy bears. at 1st i will admit i thought they were church mice? well they did at least look like them to me. ( :

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  6. @Linda: you're welcome.

    @Cloudia: it is!

    @Orvokki: thanks!

    @Marianne: I can imagine.

    @Bill: one doesn't see them much.

    @Beth: I can see that.

    @Hilary: it is, yes.

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  7. It does have some interesting history.

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  8. Thank you for the tour. I like the quilt. Have not seen the spittoon for a long time.

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  9. I can't remember the last time I saw a spittoon...and I've been around a long time!

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  10. Abbotsford House has had an interesting history William. The old spittoon hey :) bet there were a few of them in the old pubs here in Oz too.. ick. :) :)

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  11. These old historical places are so much fun. I remember a number of things pictured here, including the communion glasses and spittoons.

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  12. These people really care for their history and preserve it well.

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  13. @Stuart: strange to think when it was first built it was all countryside there.

    @Nancy: spittoons must be a rare breed.

    @Norma: this is the only one I can think of.

    @Grace: very ick! Such a bad habit!

    @Lowell: the communion glasses are not unlike those at the church when I was growing up.

    @Red: they do, yes.

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  14. What a great job those ladies have done with those bears!

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  15. Very interesting. So glad some customs have gone away. Spittoons being one. MB

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  16. I love the quilt, it's beautiful!

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  17. Wait! Is that bowl what I think it is?! -0

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  18. @Sharon: as memory serves, they make quite a lot of bears! I've been in during the Christmas sale, and they've got a whole area set aside for them.

    @MB: oh, I definitely agree.

    @RedPat: they were, yes.

    @Marleen: it stood out to me.

    @Revrunner: fortunately, no! I figured it was a good idea to actually mention spittoon!

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  19. Belíssimas imagens. Uma grandiosa e feliz noite

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  20. Communion glasses, spittoon, and teddies all in the same post. Fun and eclectic!

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  21. Teddies and quilts! By the way I have two old spittoons in my collection.

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  22. I try to stay as far away from senior centers as I can. Someone will probably be trying to lure me into one in the coming years, so I need to be vigilant.

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  23. I would have loved to go to Ottawa's Doors Open. Your photos and posts have convinced me!

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    1. I think they have one in Carleton Place or Perth each year, but even some of the outlying areas for this event, in the southwest quadrant of Ottawa proper, are within easy reach for you.

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