Maplelawn
Encyclopedia
Maplelawn is an historic house and former estate located in Ottawa
, Canada. The house was built between 1831 an 1834 as the centre of a farming estate by the Thomson family. In 1877 the Cole family bought the estate and lived there until 1989. The house is now owned by the National Capital Commission
and it is a designated national historic site. It is particularly noted for the well preserved and rare walled garden next to the house, The Maplelawn Garden. Since 1999 the Maplelawn has been the location of the Keg
Manor restaurant. Today the house is located in Westboro at 529 Richmond Road.
The architecture of the house reflects a taste for British classicism, but some elements, such as the windows, are in a more local style, favoured in Quebec
and the Ottawa Valley
. The walled garden
is a very rare feature for a Canadian farming estate. Although highly prized in Europe, they were never widespread in Canada. It was intended to be both ornamental and useful.
and settled the 200 acre (0.809372 km²) farm on the road leading from Bytown
to the village of Richmond
. Thomson and his sons focused on the farming operations of their estate, but also invested peripherally in the lumber
trade.
In 1877 the Thomsons sold the farm to the Thomas Cole, who had made a fortune in the lumber industry. The Cole family and their descendants retained possession of the house until the death of Frances Rochester, the granddaughter of Thomas Cole in 1989. Frances and her husband, Lloyd Rochester, lived at Maplelawn and raised their children there (the Rochesters were another old Ottawa family). The most important renovation was conducted in 1936, when the original summer kitchen and field hands' dormitory was replaced by a stone addition to the house at the rear. At this same time the garden was redesigned by a horticulturalist from the Central Experimental Farm
. The Federal District Commission, forerunner of the NCC, had bought the house in the 1950s to ensure its preservation.
The property was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1989.
For some years the house remained empty and the garden began to deteriorate, but in 1993 a group, the Friends of Maplelawn Garden, a volunteer group, began to work on the garden. The NCC renovated the building. Shortly thereafter, Peter Fallis leased the property and created a restaurant in the house. In the late 1990s a couple of different businessmen took over the lease and created a franchise of The Keg
restaurant, to be called the Keg Manor in the house.
Friends of Maplelawn Garden
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Canada. The house was built between 1831 an 1834 as the centre of a farming estate by the Thomson family. In 1877 the Cole family bought the estate and lived there until 1989. The house is now owned by the National Capital Commission
National Capital Commission
The National Capital Commission , is a Canadian Crown corporation that administers the federally owned lands and buildings in Canada's National Capital Region, including Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec.The NCC was created in 1959, replacing the Federal District Commission , which had been...
and it is a designated national historic site. It is particularly noted for the well preserved and rare walled garden next to the house, The Maplelawn Garden. Since 1999 the Maplelawn has been the location of the Keg
The Keg
The Keg is a chain of steakhouse restaurants and bars in Canada and the United States.-Background:It was founded in 1971 in North Vancouver, British Columbia by George Tidball and today operates in all provinces and five American states...
Manor restaurant. Today the house is located in Westboro at 529 Richmond Road.
The architecture of the house reflects a taste for British classicism, but some elements, such as the windows, are in a more local style, favoured in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and the Ottawa Valley
Ottawa Valley
The Ottawa Valley is the valley along the boundary between Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec along the Ottawa River. The valley is the transition between the Saint Lawrence Lowlands and the Canadian Shield...
. The walled garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
is a very rare feature for a Canadian farming estate. Although highly prized in Europe, they were never widespread in Canada. It was intended to be both ornamental and useful.
History
Around 1818 William Thomson, a gentleman of Scottish origin, retired from the British armyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and settled the 200 acre (0.809372 km²) farm on the road leading from Bytown
Bytown
Bytown is the former name of Ottawa, Canada's capital city. It was founded on on September 26, 1826, incorporated as a town on January 1, 1850, and superseded by the incorporation of the City of Ottawa on January 1, 1855. The founding was marked by a sod turning, and a letter from Governor General...
to the village of Richmond
Richmond, Ontario
Richmond is a Canadian village. Founded in 1818, it spans the Jock River, a tributary of the Rideau River. Like many communities in eastern Ontario, Richmond houses several unique populations. Some residents have historic and economic roots in the immediate area. Richmond operates as a small core...
. Thomson and his sons focused on the farming operations of their estate, but also invested peripherally in the lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
trade.
In 1877 the Thomsons sold the farm to the Thomas Cole, who had made a fortune in the lumber industry. The Cole family and their descendants retained possession of the house until the death of Frances Rochester, the granddaughter of Thomas Cole in 1989. Frances and her husband, Lloyd Rochester, lived at Maplelawn and raised their children there (the Rochesters were another old Ottawa family). The most important renovation was conducted in 1936, when the original summer kitchen and field hands' dormitory was replaced by a stone addition to the house at the rear. At this same time the garden was redesigned by a horticulturalist from the Central Experimental Farm
Central Experimental Farm
The Central Experimental Farm is an agricultural facility, working farm, and research centre of the Research Branch of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. As the name indicates, this farm is centrally located in and completely surrounded by the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada...
. The Federal District Commission, forerunner of the NCC, had bought the house in the 1950s to ensure its preservation.
The property was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1989.
For some years the house remained empty and the garden began to deteriorate, but in 1993 a group, the Friends of Maplelawn Garden, a volunteer group, began to work on the garden. The NCC renovated the building. Shortly thereafter, Peter Fallis leased the property and created a restaurant in the house. In the late 1990s a couple of different businessmen took over the lease and created a franchise of The Keg
The Keg
The Keg is a chain of steakhouse restaurants and bars in Canada and the United States.-Background:It was founded in 1971 in North Vancouver, British Columbia by George Tidball and today operates in all provinces and five American states...
restaurant, to be called the Keg Manor in the house.
Sources
Maitland, Leslie and Louis Taylor. Historical Sketches of Ottawa. Peterborough, Broadview Press, 1990.Friends of Maplelawn Garden