Sunday, October 30, 2022

The Estate Of A Prime Minister

My next stop in this trip into the Gatineau Hills was at the Mackenzie King Estate. One of our greatest prime ministers, William Lyon Mackenzie King, had this place as his retreat for fifty years, starting in 1903, and willed it to the country.


At the entrance are several information plates about the estate and about Mackenzie King. There are three named homes on the property, one of which is The Farm, the official residence of the Speaker of the House of Commons. The other two can be visited by the public: Kingswood and Moorside.


Mackenzie King spent the bulk of his adult life in politics, with a few years in the 1910s working as a consultant for the Rockefellers, and over time developed the property into a true home with a unique vision- a mix of old fashioned Scottish sensibility and sentiment. From the start, when he bought up land along Kingsmere Lake (the name preceded him), he wanted a place he could get away from it all.


One last look at the parking lot, with some bright fall colours.


Here and there on the estate are quotes by Mackenzie King, in French and in English.

50 comments:

  1. Looks like a beautiful day, the fall colors are beautiful. Take care, enjoy your day! Have a wonderful week!

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  2. To get away from it all sounds good. I would be in...

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  3. Quite a wealthy prime minister! Nice garden there

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  4. ...thank you, we enjoyed our visit there.

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  5. We were there a couple of winters ago. The highlight of our visit was an Ermine.

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  6. Great men have great possessions

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  7. An accomplished man. When I hear Mackenzie and Canada, I think of Bob and Doug.

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  8. I didn't know there was such a place. Thanks for showing it.

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    1. You're welcome. It's been some years since I was last there.

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  9. One way to be remembered is to have an estate and leave it to the country.

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  10. Beautiful colours! What a great visit. Now I can say I have visited it!

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  11. I remember you've taken us here before. I like the quotes on the walkway.

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  12. The houses look warm, homey and inviting.

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  13. A good place to pick up some historic facts.

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  14. speaking of French. i have been noticing even more French authors, i wonder why? i wish i knew the language. never thought to learn. only know bits of Spanish. ( ;

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  15. Mackenzie King did well but he also had h people who disagreed strongly with his views.

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  16. Wonderful place for a retreat. Interesting history.

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  17. Awesome autumn photos ~

    Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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