Time Walker

Clonsilla (1837) This house is in fact a Regency style, two storey villa, made of stone and covered with stucco. Clonsilla was built by Stafford F. Fitzpatrick, who did not live in it very long and sold it to his brother Thomas.  Following a few more owners, Robert A. Morrow (whose construction company built the Morrow Building) was the owner from 1875-1912.  His son Harold lived there the longest; it was his home for 77 years!  Harold A. Morrow donated Morrow Park (home of the annual Peterborough Exhibition) to the city in memory of his father.

Ridley Cottage (1845) This regency style stone cottage is a rarity in Peterborough.  Built into the hillside, it had a walk out basement kitchen.  I know of just two others, one which is so buried in new construction it looks completely modern, and Hutchison House.  Dr. Robert Ridley built the house for his wife and seven children.  Dr. Ridley died in 1851.  His wife Elizabeth kept a boarding house, and then remarried another doctor, Dr. John McNabb. The property was purchased in 1921 by the Catholic Diocese of Peterborough, and served as a schoolhouse between the 1930s-1950s.  Sadly, Ridley House was the victim of vandalism several years ago.  The structure was severely compromised, and its future is very uncertain.  Demolition looms as a possibility, but thankfully the building remains for the time being.

Bellevue (1866) Rev. Mark Burnham built this house for his second son John.  Originally Bellevue was quite similar to Engleburn, although more Canadian in style.  The house has been much altered over the years.  One most interesting feature is a guillotine door between two parlour rooms that could be raised and lowered as needed, disappearing between two walls on the second floor. Dr. George Burnham Cottage (1867) This Regency style cottage was the home and office of Dr. George Burnham, Rev. Mark Burnham's third son.  He occupied the house for about five years before moving to more spacious accommodation on Brock Street in Peterborough.

Ashburnham, also known as East City, was a separate village across the river until it was incorporated as part of the City of Peterborough in 1905. Engleburn (1853) The Hon. Zacheus Burnham was appointed the official surveyor of the area on behalf of the British government.  Burnham was paid in a large amount of land instead of cash.  Peterborough and Ashburnham were surveyed by his son-in-law, Richard Birdsall.  Zacheus owned much of what became the Village of Ashburnham. Zacheus' only son, Rev. Mark Burnham, built his home Engleburn on a vast compound of land bordering the Otonabee River in Asburnham.  The house is white brick in the English Palladium style.  The mansion was much larger in the Burnham's time with a huge library wing.  Unfortunately, this was demolished in 1903 by a later owner. Ingram House (1854) Absalom Ingram came to Peterborough with the Mark Burnham family and served as steward of the estate.  Rev. Burnh...

The Masonic Lodge This Greek revival style home was built in 1847 by P. M. Grover.  Robert and Charlotte Nicholls purchased the house in 1851.  Charlotte Jane Nicholls became one of Peterborough's greatest philanthropists, donating many properties and buildings.  The house was purchased by the Masons in 1950. Hutchison House Home to the Peterborough Historical Society, ( peterboroughhistoricalsociety.ca )  Hutchison House is a local icon. Built in 1837, it is one of the oldest known homes in town.  This is a wonderful living museum, open most of the year. Eastland House A young Winston Churchill was an overnight guest here on January 1, 1901.  This heritage stone house was built in 1848, and now houses the offices of an insurance company.

Victorian Public Schools Four Victorian era public schools are still standing in Peterborough. Central School started as a log cabin that doubled as a church on Sundays.   The first brick building, Peterborough Union School (1860), included both elementary and high school, and was an Italianate building with a four-storey central tower.   The tower was unfortunately deemed unsafe and cut in half in the late 1960s.   In 1871, a second building for elementary students was added to the west, and the first building was used for the high school.   The new building was expanded in 1891.   By 1895, it was necessary to also rent a manor house on George Street (Menzies House, demolished in the mid 20 th century) to accommodate the student overflow.   Plans were made to erect a new high school.   Peterborough was a relatively wealthy town, but the project still took over a decade to complete.   The new high school (Peterborough Collegiate) w...

Mansard Mansions Mansard roofs on second empire and Italianate buildings were all the rage in the high to late Victorian period.   Peterborough was thriving during this era, and the town was lush with gorgeous architecture.   The north side of Brock Street from George to Aylmer Streets was almost a full stretch of these elegant buildings.   While some of those mansions survive, none are in their original form, and the mansard roofs have long disappeared.   In Peterborough today, there are maybe half dozen scattered mansard mansions remaining intact. One of Peterborough’s best preserved, the Richard and Robert Hall house, was built in 1877.   The iron cresting over the front entrance originally also graced the roof line.   The house survived as law offices for many decades, and now houses the John Howard Society. The Judge G. M Rogers house, 1877, built for his fiancée, who tragically drowned.   The house was instead rented out, and late...