WESTMOUNT WARMTH
Townhouse teems with cosy touches
Mark Gibson and his wife Mary Irwin-Gibson grew up in Montreal, but for several years they lived elsewhere, most recently in Kingston, Ont., where Irwin- Gibson was the Dean of St. George’s Anglican Cathedral. In August 2015 their “exile” ended when Irwin- Gibson became the first female (and fluently bilingual) bishop of the diocese of Montreal.
A home for the bishop comes with the job, but the building that was once the official residence was no longer available. It was situated within the prestigious Golden Square Mile, but it was large and expensive to maintain, so a decade or so ago, it was sold by the Anglican Church. When the couple moved back to Montreal, they had free rein to select a residence.
That said, they did have certain criteria.
For one thing, their home had to be central, which meant within easy access of the diocese and Gibson’s place of work. For another, it had to be big enough to entertain groups of 30 to 40 people.
With the help of a real-estate agent, they shopped around for a suitable home, ending up with a classical, 1895 greystone townhouse on the edge of Westmount, a building known as one of the “Six Sisters.”
The townhouse covers 2,000 square feet on three storeys. And while the rooms are not overly large (at one time the interior had been divided into separate apartments), there is ample space to entertain groups of people. It has two bathrooms, two powder rooms and a separate dining room with a table big enough to seat 14.
Many of the original architectural details have been preserved or restored by previous owners — ornate plaster friezes and lighting medallions, 12-foot-high ceilings, wide wainscotting, a number of archways and alcoves, a couple of white marble fireplaces and a stunning spiral staircase, topped by a stained-glass window.
Q What a handsome interior! Were you specifically looking for an older home? A Not really. It was just the way it worked out. Before we moved back to Montreal, we made a couple of trips from Kingston to check out the market. We must have looked at around 12 houses, but this was the one that caught our fancy.
Q What was it that appealed to you? A First of all, it fitted our criteria, but we also loved the interior and the way it had been decorated. We also figured the furniture we had in Kingston would work in this space as well. And it has.
The walls in the living room and the dining room are painted tomato red. They form a striking contrast to the wainscotting and the white trim around the windows and doors. The furnishings are homey with more formal antique pieces scattered here and there.
The kitchen, too, is warm and welcoming. It has an exposed-brick wall with what, at the turn of the 20th century, had perhaps been an open fireplace or space for a wood stove. Now, it’s an interesting display area to hang pots and pans. The setting might be classic, but the kitchen fittings are modern. The cabinets are made of reddish wood and on the opposite side of a stainless-steel stove are more built-in cupboards, some with glass-fronted doors. There is a centre island with a flecked granite
top, drawers and additional storage units.
Q The kitchen is obviously very up to date. Did you renovate it? A No. It was like this when we moved in, but we did have to make a couple of changes.
Q What were they?
A The plumbing was fine, but we had to redo the wiring from top to bottom. We also installed a powder room in the hallway. That was to make it handy for people coming in the front door, especially elderly parishioners who might have to use a wheelchair.
Q Were all the renovations completed before you moved in? A (Laughs.) No. We were living here while the work was going on. We had good tradespeople but we’re still discovering piles of dust and plaster! We lived in one room while the renovations were going on, but that’s the price you pay for having an old home.
Q It sounds as if you have no regrets though? A Not at all! Our neighbours are wonderful. Within a month of moving here we were invited to a Halloween party. There’s nowhere like Montreal!