Month: September 2015

The Morland Place

By James MacDougall

“Have you been to the Morland Place?” When I ask locals  this question they usually give me a puzzled look and say “The what?”  I will then explain that it is the interesting looking property at the intersection of Grey Road 18 and the Inglis Falls Road. Then they will nod in recognition and say something like “oh that place!” We all know it’s in our backyard, but it’s not a place everyone has visited despite the fact it’s grounds are open to the public daily May through October from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm.

The Morland Place is a European style manor house with vast gardens, manicured lawns and a hedge-row labyrinth. The main residence is built around an original 1919 stone house which was purchased by Joe and Vera More in 1945. In the 1980s, their son Barry More, built an addition to the original building in Georgian Regency style. It was a project that took 10 years to complete. The house is in many ways a tribute to Barry’s mother Vera and serves as a showcase of her many collections of antique furniture, books and objects d’art.

Moreland Place
Morland Place Georgian Regency architecture.
Moreland Place staircase
Morland Place staircase with its hand crafted banister.
Moreland Place Staircase
Morland Place Staircase. Note the continuous curve of the banister as it descends
Moreland Place Piano
Morland Place Piano
Moreland Place Cherub
Morland Place Cherub
Moreland Cherubs
Morland Cherubs
Barry More
Barry More and his Cocker Spaniel

Contact

Owner: Barry More
Phone: (519) 376-4617
Address: 102645 Grey Rd 18, Owen Sound

Resources

Bruce Grey Simcoe: Places to Visit

The Rural Route: Morland beauty

A Thing of Beauty: The Story of Morland Place by Barry Joseph More (ISBN: 978-1-897502-27-3)

All photographs copyright James MacDougall 2015.

A New Season (The Legend of the Phoenix)

By James MacDougall

After a summer medley of work, leisure and adventure I am back to report on my travels with new photos and features. July was dedicated to work. August was a month of leisure and a sprinkle of adventure here and there spiced the entire season up; some of which I will share and some I won’t!

As some of you may know my life took a dramatic turn in 2012 and it has been a while since emotionally, mentally and physically I have had a vacation in any meaningful sense. I have to say having the opportunity to take all of August to live like a kid on summer vacation was just what the doctor ordered. Being able to define my own schedule and pursue my passions without any interference or demands is a luxury few of us ever get, but of course one can’t really live that way forever.

GBsmall

Seasons change and with them come different demands. New responsibilities, new goals and plans. Autumn 2015 is here and the leaves are starting to turn. My eldest nephew has started University. In my mind it wasn’t so long ago I was reading him stories and building sand castles on the beach. Strangely he now lives a few blocks from where I lived in Ottawa and I now live a few blocks from where he lived in Owen Sound. I didn’t see that coming.

Life goes on and it takes strange turns. I’ve always been open to change and exploration and when I finally settled down the earth and heavens shook and that life came tumbling down around me. But as the story goes the Phoenix rises from the ashes. If 2012 was the year of Fire (both literally and figuratively), then 2013-2014 were the years of Ashes and Embers. 2015 was the Incubation and  in 2016 the Phoenix rises.

Phoenix
The Phoenix

A creature that first appears in Egyptian mythology as the Bennu and later as the “Phoenix (Crimson)”in Greek mythology, the phoenix was said to have brilliant plumage and would live for hundreds of years. It’s death would come in a burst of flames and from the ashes of the pyre a new phoenix would be born. Accordingly the phoenix is a symbol of renewal.

And so as the turning leaves of autumn, in brilliant yellow, orange and red, evoke the image of the fiery phoenix set to soar into the blue sky again, so to go I.

RESOURCES
New World Encyclopedia: