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Montgomery
descendant restoring house that inspired Anne’s Ingleside
© Nancy
MacPhee/Journal Pioneer. April 14, 2016
Paul
Montgomery stands outside what was the home of his great great-grandfather,
Senator Donald Montgomery, who was also the grandfather to acclaimed author
L.M. Montgomery. Paul and his wife, Michelle, are restoring the home, the
inspiration for Anne Shirley’s marital house, Ingleside, into a bed and
breakfast and country inn.
Now, the three-storey 19th
Century wooden-clad home is under renovation, its doors to open later this year
to visitors and fans of Lucy Maud Montgomery.
It served as a setting in her books “Anne’s House of Dreams”, “Anne of
Ingleside”, “Rainbow Valley’, and “Rilla of Ingleside.” Paul Montgomery and his
wife, Michele, are renovating the home build by his great-great-grandfather,
Senator Donald Montgomery, also Lucy Maud’s grandfather. They purchased the
ancestral home in 2014. “It was in quite a state of disrepair,” admitted Paul.
“We’ve put a new foundation in, stripped walls down right to the bare studs.” The
famous author, his “first cousin twice removed,” spent a great deal of time at
the home and drew inspiration from within its walls. It was on the dining room
mantle, now stored until work is complete, that Gog and Magog, those
green-spotted China dogs L.M. first wrote about in “Anne of the Island,” sat,
peering down at guests during Sunday dinners. Paul said the home, situated near
the Lake of Shining Waters in Park Corner, was considered grand in its day,
taking three to four years to construct. Over the kitchen and dining room are
three bedrooms that were the servants’ quarters when the senator resided in the
home. The serving window, where, after Donald rang his bell, food was passed
from the kitchen to the dining room, still remains and will be preserved. The
home has been passed along through the family, bought and sold several times,
but always staying with a Montgomery. In the 1970s it was operated as a tourist
home by Paul’s grandmother. In the 1980s and ‘90s, his father, Robert, acquired
the ancestral home. It was operated as Montgomery Tourist Home then Montgomery
Manor with its last incarnation being the Lucy Maud Montgomery Heritage Museum.
“We are going to operate it as a heritage bed and breakfast, country inn and
the name of the property, when we finish, will be the Montgomery Inn at
Ingleside,” said Paul. “It has been a huge undertaking.” He is amazed by the
home’s structure, and how well it has stood the test of time. “Where ever there
is a window there are actual six-by-six (inch) posts that go from the
foundation right up to the attic,” added Paul. “When we redid the roof last
year, there were boards that were 24-inches wide, hand-hewn boards.” At first
glance as one walks into the door, it’s obvious a lot of work has to be done. There
are holes in some walls and Gryproc replacing others. Decades, if not
century-old, wallpaper — if it can’t be salvaged — must to be stripped.
Unique features, like
hand-painted scrolling on wooden doors, will be preserved, and a mindful eye —
and hands — used to ensure the home’s integrity maintained. Paul is confident
the work will be complete by for August. He has been posting progress
updates on social media. The project is “a labour of love,” one aimed at
sharing his family’s history. “Preserving the history of the site is our main
goal.”
Turning homes of historical relevance or at least ones that played a part in an important person's history into a B&B sounds like a great idea and much better than leaving it as glorified storage for some memorabilia items.
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