Glanmore National Historic Site to return to its former glory

By Buckley Smith and Tyler Penney

BELLEVILLE – One of Belleville’s treasures, Glanmore National Historic Site, will soon be returning to its original glory.

After closing its doors to the public in early January, Glanmore has been undergoing serious restorations in an attempt truly represent the history of the house.

Glanmore was built in 1882-1883 for a local family, and was designated a historic site in 1969 for its architectural significance.

Glanmore House in Belleville, Ontario Photo by Tyler Penney, QNet News

It was built in the “Second Empire” style, which was a revival in the 1880s and 1890s of a style that became popular in France under the reign of Napoleon III.

And while many public buildings have been built in this style, like the Parliament buildings in Ottawa, or the old City Hall in Montreal, this is one of few private homes in the country in this style.

“It is unique in Belleville and in the country. It represents a particular lifestyle and a particular time period that really does help us learn about the past and the people that were here in the community,” said Dave Cox, the museum technician at Glanmore.

Unlike renovations though, restorations are much more difficult.

“You need to consult with experts, we are not in the business of creatively interpreting what was here,” said Cox. “There are lots of things that could be appropriate, but we want to make sure we are actually representing the history.”

Cox said the restorations have been ongoing since about 1990, but this latest wave was brought on by a need for new carpeting.

The carpeting was replaced in the 1970s, and never truly met the historic requirements.

The process of acquiring the carpet is much harder than just going down to your local interior decoration store and picking one out.

“They had to research the carpet, and find the archives from the mill,” said Cox.

According to Cox they got “a replica carpet reproduced in the same mill using the same loom and the same pattern as the original one put down in 1883.”

The Glanmore house is one of the few remaining houses in its style Photo by Tyler Penney, QNet News

And this was just one of many difficult steps.

Along with the carpet, matching paints was a painstaking process.

“I spent some time with a scalpel doing some initial work peeling off layers of paint. I found a beautiful green and what i think is a gold paint. But I am not a conservation expert so we are actually calling in a gentlemen who used to work for the Canadian Conservation Institute to do some specialized detail analysis of the paint,” said Cox.

Melissa Wakeling is the marketing and education coordinator for Glanmore. She hopes that after this round of restorations Glanmore will be a source of pride for locals.

“I hope people will be surprised and impressed. And have a sense of awe, and be proud of this in their community,” said Wakeling.

And while many in Belleville may have already seen the Glanmore before these restorations, Cox hopes they come back to see it again.

“It is unique in Belleville and in the country. It represents a particular lifestyle and a particular time period that really does help us learn about the past and the people that were here in the community.”