Earnscliffe
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2017) |
| Earnscliffe | |
|---|---|
British government (since 1930) | |
| Official name | Earnscliffe National Historic Site of Canada |
| Designated | May 30, 1960 |
Earnscliffe is a
Location and heritage status
The property overlooks the Ottawa River, just east of the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge. It is located to the northwest of Sussex Drive, across from the Lester B. Pearson Building.
The house is a
History
The manor was built by Thomas McKay's company for his son-in-law, John McKinnon, from 1855 to 1857.[2] McKinnon died suddenly in 1866 and the house was purchased by another of McKay's sons-in-law, Thomas Keefer. Two years later, he sold it to Thomas Reynolds, a railroad developer. Reynolds resided there for several years, and it was during this period that the house got the name Earnscliffe, an archaic term for "eagle's cliff".
Reynolds died in 1879, and his son sold the house to Sir John A. Macdonald in 1883. Macdonald had earlier stayed with Reynolds, and there are some stories that he gave it its name. When Sir John A. Macdonald visited, they discussed about its name as Eaglescliffe, but he suggested the Old English word for eagle, earn, and his suggestion was accepted.[3] In 1888, Macdonald made several additions to the structure. In 1891, Macdonald fell ill, and he died in his room at Earnscliffe.
His widow,
In 1930, William Henry Clark, the first British high commissioner to Canada, arranged to buy the house for the British government. It has been the home of the British high commissioner ever since.[4]
In 2005, a plaque and tree was installed on the grounds of Earnscliffe, in commemoration of the CANLOAN program and its participants.[5]
On October 4, 2011, a fire damaged the building. British High Commissioner Andrew Pocock, living in the house at the time, was fine and no one was injured in the fire.[6]
See also
- British High Commission, Ottawa
- List of designated heritage properties in Ottawa
References
- ^ a b "HistoricPlaces.ca - HistoricPlaces.ca". www.historicplaces.ca. Retrieved 2017-11-08.
- ^ ""Earnscliffe, Ottawa."". Dominion Illustrated News (Montreal). 6 (155): 579. June 20, 1891.
- ISBN 0-920960-74-X.
- ^ "Earnscliffe, British High Commissioner's Official Residence". ottawa.ca. Retrieved 2017-11-08.
- ^ "Stage 1 and 2 Archaeological Assessments 'Earnscliffe' - 140 Sussex Drive Part Lot O, Broken Front C, Geographic Township of Nepean, City of Ottawa, Ontario" (PDF). webcast.ottawa.ca. Past Recovery Archaeological Services Inc. 12 November 2019. p. 22. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
- ^ "Ottawa's historic Earnscliffe Manor damaged by fire". CBC News. Retrieved 2017-11-08.