Old Stone And Science

A reminder to members of City Daily Photo: the theme day for the first of October is Shelter. And for those readers in the Ottawa area, the National Arts Centre has an open house this coming Sunday, starting at noon.

While the French embassy is on the eastern side of the parkland surrounding the Rideau River where it comes to an end, this building is on the west side. It houses facilities of the National Research Council, a science and technology organization dating back to the First World War. The building dates back to 1932, and is built in the Beaux-Arts style.

Tomorrow I'll start showing you Rideau Falls Park, on and around Green Island.

Lair Of A Dark Lord

Across the street from Rideau Hall is 24 Sussex Drive, the home of the Prime Minister (at present, otherwise known as the Dark Lord, Darth Harper). Unlike the White House, which can be photographed easily, the manor is hidden away behind trees and hedges, offering mere glimpses. Its gatehouse is the only building one really gets a look at from the street. The Dark Lord wasn't at home- if he had been, I wonder if my passing by might have given him reason to pause and remark, "I feel a great disturbance in the Force." 

On a side note, a few days back looking at stats for my writer's blog, I came across a strange search term for someone finding my blog. A former key adviser to the Dark Lord- a sleazeball lawyer who's been in trouble repeatedly through his career by the name of Bruce Carson- is currently standing trial on influence peddling. The search term someone used to find my blog? Bruce Carson Porno. Yuck!

Back across the street, this home is known by its address too: 7 Rideau Gate, an official residence owned by the Canadian government, and used for visiting dignitaries.

It stands next to the South African High Commission, which I showed you some days ago. The traffic circle that stands between Rideau Hall, these two homes, and 24 Sussex is one of a handful in the city.

Taking Leave

For a different look at the Hall, check out this video by Canadian comedian Rick Mercer, paying a visit some years ago and getting a personal tour of the official residence with the current Governor General David Johnston. Denise asked a question about tennis balls breaking windows in the Tent Room the other day- this clip has a different spin on that.

Looking at this, you wouldn't expect that off to the right, Rideau Hall stands. This ravine is on the east side of the property. It's quite a drop down to the bottom from here.

One last look back at Rideau Hall as we head down the main driveway.

I mentioned in an earlier post about dignitaries doing ceremonial tree plantings. Their plaques can be found by the tree, such as in the case of this one, identifying President Truman as having planted a sugar maple here. Obviously from the size of the tree, this must be a shoot of the original tree, given new life.

This totem pole is on the grounds, dating back to 1946. It was carved for the Governor General of the time, Viscount Alexander, by a First Nations artist.

The inukshuk is nearby, dating back to a more recent Governor General, Romeo LeBlanc, in 1997.

A gatehouse can be found here.

And in summer when I took these shots, the Ceremonial Guard is on hand manning the gates. I hope you have enjoyed this look at Rideau Hall.

The Ballroom

The Ballroom at Rideau Hall certainly caught my eye as I stepped inside. It's used for numerous special occasions, including state dinners and the swearing in of new cabinets. A portrait of Queen Elizabeth dominates the far wall, painted for the Diamond Jubilee and incorporating elements of Canada into it. The artist also includes the portrait of Queen Victoria hanging in the Tent Room.

Busts of Lord and Lady Elgin, a pre-Confederation Governor General and his wife, can be found in this room, along with flags of the Governor General.

Stepping back out through the main entrance gives us a view of the fountain, and a look back at the Ceremonial Guards. I'll be finishing up with Rideau Hall tomorrow.

Interior Views

Two items before getting started. Two years ago today I started this blog; time to get geared up for Year Three. And it is going to be a long night here in Ottawa and Gatineau- the annual art event Nuit Blanche starts in the early evening and goes long into the night, so I'm going to be busy.

Now then, carrying on with our look at Rideau Hall. Moving beyond yesterday's brightly coloured Tent Room was this pleasant space. The rug and furnishings appealed to me. The model of Rideau Hall is on the cabinet in the center of the room, and can be broken up into pieces by a guide as a good way to show how the original home by Thomas McKay has been greatly expanded over the years.

I really liked this sitting room which was just off the central room.

They even let disreputable rogues into the place.

This doorway leads out into the room beyond, which I'll show you tomorrow.

Into The Hall

For those coming to Ottawa, Rideau Hall has public tours of some of the mansion (the hours vary depending on time of year). While photography is not permitted during the tours (they would slow things down considerably), one is free to photograph when the tours end for the day, so if you're paying a visit, check ahead of time. I took the last English tour of the afternoon before the staff opened the doors to any member of the public to come through, so I went back through the rooms I'd toured just a few minutes earlier. These first shots are in the main entrance hall, where portraits of former governor generals are hung.

Off this room is an exhibit space, where various Canadian honours, such as the Order of Canada, are hung and displayed, with explanations for each. 

And beyond that is this very colourful space, the Tent Room. Governor Generals from further back in time, when they were all British born, are hung here in portraits, while a portrait of Queen Victoria dominates the far wall. This unusual space dates back to the 1870s; Lord Dufferin, the Governor General at the time, had a personal interest in an indoor tennis court. And so this wing was built, doubling as a reception room. The bright colours certainly catch the eye.

Water Works

Once an hour, the Ceremonial Guard sentries are relieved at their posts here at Rideau Hall, both at the entrance and the main gate. The ceremony is not that different from the relieving of sentries done at the War Memorial. Here we have a group headed down the drive to the gate with the new guard among them.

The bagpiper returns with the relieved sentries.

At the front of the mansion is this fountain, erected in honour of the late Terry Fox. I'll have a post on him later in the month.

I finish with my favourite shot of the exterior. Tomorrow we'll start taking a look inside.

At Rideau Hall

Stepping away from the garden into the shade of the many trees around Rideau Hall, one notices many of them have plaques beneath them, with the names of presidents, world leaders, and royalty. A plaque here shows the reason- many of these trees are the result of ceremonial plantings that continue to this day. It doesn't take long to find trees planted by Queen Elizabeth, Nelson Mandela, Mikhail Gorbachev, Dwight Eisenhower, Queen Beatrix, Queen Juliana, Harry Truman, Lech Walesa, and many other dignitaries. When John and Jackie Kennedy did this in 1961, JFK messed up his back, a perennial problem for the president.

Nearby we get our first view of Rideau Hall. The mansion first built by McKay has been expanded through the decades since, and draws the visitor in. The mansion at present consists of 175 rooms across some 9500 square metres (over 100 000 square feet) of space, with numerous additional buildings on the property. Most of the Hall is used for official business, with a relatively small portion of it as residence for the governor general's family.

The Ceremonial Guard are on sentry duty here during the summer, and their officers are on hand when a tourist would like to pose for a shot.

The Hall itself is a marvel to behold, a mixture of architectural styles- Regency, Norman, and Florentine.

A Garden Stroll

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.