GEORGIAN LIFE
A Jane Austen film could take place on this estate.
The owners spent two years searching for a property and found this one by accident, says listing agent John Dunlap of Moffat Dunlap Real Estate. “One day they were driving along the Escarpment Sideroad and happened to see an old for sale sign. They climbed the fence, went through the scrub lands and were shocked at how great the view was. They didn’t know such properties existed near Toronto. They made their decision to buy immediately.”
They purchased the 165-acre central-Caledon property. “It took them four years to obtain the building permits and construct the home,” says Dunlap, who has co-listed the property with Janet Lindsay and Jimmy Molloy of Chestnut Park Real Estate.
Stoneridge Hall is a Georgian country house inspired by the great estates of Long Island and earlier English Georgian manors.
The 13,725-square-foot resi- dence, which has columns, pilasters and vaulted and domed ceilings, is built around a main section with east and west wings.
A 21-ft.-high entrance hall has a classic Georgian front door and a traditional transom of leaded and bevelled glass. The main salon is more than 50 feet long and includes a marble fireplace, multiple seating areas, a piano apse and four sets of double French doors to a stone terrace.
The light-filled kitchen is well equipped for meal preparation for many guests, while the panelled dining room provides an elegant place to enjoy the spoils. The dining room even has concealed cabinetry for additional tableware storage.
A long curved hall with fullheight windows and doors leads to the private office/library, which has its own bathroom. Extensive built-in shelving and a built-in credenza with a leather surface make the space feel important.
The east wing has a mainfloor master suite or a guest retreat. The second-floor master suite has its own balcony and two bathrooms.
A tour of the home will eventually lead to a third-floor artist’s studio with five dormer niches and a leaded glass skylight. The walkout lower level, meanwhile, has a gym, a large reception room and a private entrance. Stairs from the three-bay garage leads to the west wing and kitchen.
The residence, in a storybook setting of topiary gardens, fountains, ponds and a pool, has fine views of the Toronto skyline from its escarpment ridge. A 98-foot stone walkway leads from the house to a stone lookout terrace, where a staircase leads down one storey to pool level. A pool change room and equipment room are built into the classically inspired stone staircase.