The Citizen, 2001-03-21, Page 18MUNICIPALITY OF HURON EAST
Presents
Dog Obedience
with Instructor Anita Hansen
10 week session will begin
Tuesday, April 3/2001
7-8 PM
Seaforth & District
Community Centres
Wednesdy, April 4/2001
7-8 PM
Brussels and Morris Grey .
Community Centre
The Seaforth Site will also be offering an Agility Class from 8:00-9:00
PM on Tuesday evenings after the Beginner Obedience Class.
Registration fee is 545.00. Interested persons must pre-register by calling
527.1272
PAGE 18. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2001.
Historic Brussels home gets new life as B&B
Master of the Manor
Terence Brandon stands in the elegant, but comfortable din-
ing room of Dunedin Manor Bed and Breakfast. The room,
decorated in blending hues of purple and rose to match the
stained glass in the windows, has the aura of an English
country house. The prints on the walls are 18th and 19th
century botanical lithographs which tie into the theme of food
and beverage.
Rooms with a view
A 1910 Bechstein piano is the focal point of the two living rooms at Dunedin Manor Bed and
Breakfast. Fireplaces at either end of the 50-foot length have intricately carved mantelpieces.
The wood is tiger rock. The men's parlour is in the foregound, with the ladies in the back.
in the price of the accommodation.
Singles are $85 per night, while dou-
bles are $95. GST is also included in
the price.
While the rooms at Dunedin
Manor currently do not have ensuite.
bathrooms, typical of most bed and
breakfasts, Brandon expects that
may change in the, future, though
only if it can be done without
ing the architecture.
Still, with rooms that vary in size
from 14x16' to 25x22' and various
alcoves and hallways, there is a
sense of privacy.
"This is like a home away from
home. I want people to come and
experience living in a Victorian man-
sion," says Brandon. "My guests
have the run of the house. They are
my guests and that is how I want
them to feel."
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen staff
With its rich history a regal
Brussels home has once again been
revived.
Terence Brandon of Toronto has
been restoring one of the village's
most glorious architectural examples
as Dunedin Manor Bed and
Breakfast.
Built in 1887 as the home and
offices of Dr. W.J.R. Holmes,
Dunedin was modelled after and
named for a castle in Scotland. Its
storied past has been rich and varied.
The house, which has been used as
apartments and previously as a
B&B, is perhaps best known to long-
time residents as the old maternity
hospital.
Brandon, Dunedin's seventh
-owner, discovered the 16-room
dwelling in 1997 and was immedi-
ately struck not just by its potential
but by the village's as well.
"Brussels has some of the finest
architecture anywhere. It attests to
how prosperous Brussels was, and I
believe will be again."
His vision for a new bed and
breakfast was to develop a place that
was nice, in a quiet area which has a
lot to offer.
With his background in hospitali-
ty; he's been a maitre de, owned sev-
eral restaurants, is a gourmet chef,
who owns his own salad dressing
business and worked as a consultant;
as well as his interest in history,
Brandon's focus is to make guests
feel welcome.
To create the type of environment
condusive to this he had plenty of
work ahead of him. "We painted the
exterior last summer and discovered
five original coats of paint,"
Brand9n said. The exterior paint
chosen was Appalachian Valley
Green which blends well with the
abundant vegetation around the
house.
Research into the home and an
antique collection from three differ-
ent centuries have enriched the inte-
rior.
"It is an on-going process," said
Brandon of the work, "but I have
tried to take the house as it was,
leave it as original as possible and
enhance that."
Built on a 2 1/2-3 foot foundation
of limestone carved from the river
bed, the walls of the home are triple
bricked, helping to maintain in sum-
mer an interior temperature of 68-
70°F.
The end result is an atmosphere of
understated luxury and comfort.
Brandon says he hopes the decor is
one which people will enjoy.. "A
recent guest said that she had walked
through the house for two days and
was still seeing things she had
missed."
The gardens are also a feature of
the property which have been getting
Brandon's attention. "I have been
working on the gardens for three
years," he says. An English garden
on the west side was discovered
from the turret window.
"I saw a pattern so I mapped it
out. It's a combination of squares
and circles." People have also
remarked on some of the rare flow-
ers growing on the property.
"I don't want to disturb any of that
but leave the gardens as they were. I
hope to keep this like a step back in
time."
Perched high above the Maitland
River,•Dunedin offers a lovely view.
Brandon intends to build a patio on
the north side of the property to
allow guests the view of flora and
fauna.
Besides the ambiance, one of the
highlights of a stay at Dunedin
Manor will be the breakfast. "I want
to bring back the elegance of the
Victorian-style breakfast, offering
different ideas that use fresh fruits
and vegetables indigenous to the
area."
The breakfast is of course included
MARCH IS EPILEPSY
MONTH
Guest Speaker
Neurologist
Dr. G.R. Ganapathy
TOPIC:
Seizures & Medical Treatments
Wednesday
March 29th at 7:00 p.m.
Wingham & District Hospital
Downstairs in gymnasium
Questions to Follow
ALL WELCOMED!
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