The Suburb Surrounds the Mansion

Walking home on a warm February morning, I caught sight of the back of Moira Hall.  I realized I never had a good look at it before, so I decided to go check it out.  Originally it was a small Victorian mansion built on several acres, and I heard it served as one of Peterborough’s early hospitals.
                Following the death of the original owner, the house was purchased by George A. Cox, who planned to use it for the Dr. Barnardo children’s home.  When these plans fell through, Cox divided up the land.  The house and some of the grounds were bought by Mrs. Charlotte Jane Nicholls, who in turn donated it to the town as a hospital.  Once again, the house proved too small for institutional use, and within four years, Mrs. Nicholls instead built the Nicholls Hospital in the north end.  Moira Hall then became the Thomas E. Bradburn family home for more than forty-five years.
                Very few Victorian mansions escaped The Great Depression without being remodelled into apartments, or turned into boarding houses or offices.  Times had changed so completely.  In the mid 1930s, Moira Hall became, and remains, an apartment building. 
In the late 60s, the property was subdivided, and modern homes were built on the lots.  Moira Hall now faces the backyard of one of these.  Imagine having a Victorian mansion practically in your backyard!  Once resplendent on an estate, the mansion has now spent fifty years with its back to the street, its lovely face surrounded and hidden by a modern suburb.




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