Great Canadian Homes – Sir John A. Macdonald
We continue to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday by taking a tour through some of the most historic and breath-taking Canadian homes. What better way to help celebrate this country than to take a look into the home of Canada’s first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald? Take tour of Earnscliffe (old English for Eagle’s Cliff) Manor.
The Exterior: This lovely, Victorian-style home was built in 1867 in Ottawa, Ontario. Built of stone, with peaked roofs, decorative trim, and elegantly arched windows, the detail and craftsmanship shows the true character of this timeless beauty. It’s hard to believe this property originally listed for $10,000 at the time it was bought.
The Study: If you take a look inside of the home you are instantly drawn to the private study. When entering a prime minister’s house, the study was expected to be the room that was most “lived in.” Macdonald actually preferred to do most of his work here, including work done for one of his greatest accomplishments, the establishment of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
The Dining Room: Another room of major interest in a prime minister’s home is the dining room. This regal dining room is filled with original, vintage furniture, that remains in perfect condition today. Visitors can walk into this room and imagine the host of dignitaries that have sat in these very chairs and ate at this dining table. An original bench designed by Macdonald for his disabled daughter still remains there to this day. His daughter was said to enjoy sitting on the bench and watch women make their grand entrance to events in their beautiful attire.
In 2011, the house unfortunately had an attic fire that almost destroyed the whole home. Thankfully it was beautifully restored to it’s original character by Ottawa-based architect Chris Deimling. Deimling was able to preserve the historic beauty of the home and it’s contents.
The Drawing Room: The drawing room is a an elegant space, which has hosted guests such as Queen Victoria. It was said that this room use to be nick-named the “withdraw room” because it was a popular place for guests to relax in after a meal or event.
in 1930, the home was purchased by the British Government and is now the current residence of the British High Commissioner, Howard Drake.
This home is also significant because, not only did Sir John.A Macdonald live in it, but it was also his final resting place before his death in 1891 at the age of 76. His bedroom still remains in it’s original condition, furniture and all, paying tribute to our first prime minister helped shaped our country’s history.