Ottawa Citizen

MIXING THE OLD AND THE NEW

Perth’s heritage Christmas tour offers history with a dash of the modern

- PAULA MCCOOEY

Christmas in Perth is steeped in rural Ontario history, rich with memories of horsedrawn sleighs, sparkling snow, and stone farmhouses lit by the glow of a crackling fire. Stonestabl­es is right at home in this winter scene.

The home, along with seven others, will be decked out with holiday flowers and decoration­s for the annual CFUW Heritage Perth Christmas House Tour Dec. 7 and 8. It’s the eighth year of the tour, which helps raise funds to support higher education for women and young girls, local libraries and children’s reading programs.

The tour is a chance to spend time with friends and family, learning about the history of the homes and admiring the architectu­ral details, all while getting home and holiday decor ideas, says organizer Karen Hickey.

She recalls a group of women on last year’s tour who take part every year “because I think they live far apart so that is one time that they get together for the weekend, have some fun and get to see each other.” Visitors come from as far as Kingston, Markham and New York state, she says.

At Stonestabl­es — so named because the ground floor of the rubble stone home was once part of the stables — the first thing to see coming up the long driveway is a grand blue spruce pine wrapped in lights on the front lawn. The home, built in 1825 by local Thomas James, has evolved over the years, tripling in size through several restoratio­ns and renovation­s that began in 1983.

For a time, it ran as a bed and breakfast before it once again became a private home in 2007. Current owners Bonnie Allan and Andrew Lynch bought it in 2012. The changes have been so faithful to the original building that it’s hard to see where the old ends and the new begins. The exposed beams in the main living space of the new addition echo original beams in the living and dining room.

“It wasn’t uncommon to have livestock living right beside the area where people slept,” says Lynch of the home’s history. When he and Allan moved in, they put their own touch on the property by painting, adding a walkin kitchen pantry and renovating the bathrooms. The master ensuite is modern and chic, perfectly juxtaposed against the rustic landscape pictured through the bathroom window. They were also drawn to features not typical of an older country home — ample storage, spacious bedrooms and copious windows with long views of the adjacent pastures.

Like Stonestabl­es, many of the homes on the tour were built in the 1800s, with most having been beautifull­y restored. Wherever possible, original features such as ornate plaster ceiling medallions and mouldings have been preserved. Newer homes on the tour include one designed by its homeowner that features a mix of paintings by local artists and furniture made by the homeowner’s greatgrand­father, a Lanark cabinet maker, and another built 15 years ago out of logs cut and sawed in Lanark County. This warm and inviting home is a modern interpreta­tion of the homes built by early settlers. It’s still occupied by the original owners, whose love of history is evident in the many collectibl­es that contribute to the warm, vintage atmosphere.

Last year the CFUW raised $26,000 on the tour, with $17,000 going to education awards to help young and mature women go to college or university; and the rest to three libraries and reading and art programs. For former educators Lynch and Allan, opening their historic home was natural.

“If something dates back to 1825, even a part of the structure, there’s something fabulous about that, there’s something worth holding on to,” says Allan. “And if you have something that you love, why not share it?”

Online: See more photos of this and other homes on the tour at ottawaciti­zen.com/homes

 ?? PHOTOS: CHRIS MIKULA/OTTAWA CITIZEN ?? The family room of Stonestabl­es is part of an addition, but features such as exposed beams and the stone fireplace surround help it blend in with the original 1825 home.
PHOTOS: CHRIS MIKULA/OTTAWA CITIZEN The family room of Stonestabl­es is part of an addition, but features such as exposed beams and the stone fireplace surround help it blend in with the original 1825 home.
 ??  ?? The master bedroom shows off its stonework and hardwood floors.
The master bedroom shows off its stonework and hardwood floors.

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