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Showing posts from October, 2018

Brick Works

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Yet another house on a hill turned away from the street to face the view is the Robert Kingan House, built c. 1863.  Directly across Brock Street from Hutchison House, this beauty is currently getting a face lift.  Several months ago, a massive addition on the back was torn down in a matter of one day.  In the past few weeks, the original look of the brickwork has been being restored by a company called  The Brick Painters. I've watched them perform their magic on a few other properties in town, and they do a phenomenal job.  This is not the usual sandblasting but instead a method of faux finish that restores the appearance of the brick without risking potential damage from common cleaning methods.  You can't tell these bricks are painted!  The whole house used to be that awful yellow you can still see on the back where the addition was removed.  Just look at it now!  I also love the look of the new entrance porch; contemporary Arts & Crafts Revival.

Aligned to the View

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Another example of a house not facing the road, but situated to take advantage of a view, is the Jane Wilson House.  This unusual cottage, built circa 1880, was originally only one storey, but features two front projecting bay windows, a common feature of many larger homes of that era.  The house was just outside the original northern town boundary of Smith Street, now Parkhill Road.  At the time, it would have sat alone on the crest of a country hill overlooking Peterborough.  Newer houses and mature trees now block the view, although a glimpse of it can still be seen by looking south down the street.  This house changed hands a lot, but it was owned for over twenty years by the late Dr. Barclay McKone and his wife, Lorna.  The quirky position of this house and its large front garden, serene on this quiet little street, reminds me so much of England.