Glanmore National Historic Site Reopens

Rona Rustige, Melissa Wakeling and Danielle McMahon-Jones holding a cut of the recently replaced carpet at Glanmore house. Photo by Jaykob Storey.

By Jaykob Storey

BELLEVILLE — Glanmore National Historic Site reopened to the public on Tuesday after undergoing a restoration process for nearly two months.

The goal of the restoration project was to replace the carpeting, which had been in place since 1971.

“What was lacking was the carpet, so it really completes the interior restoration,” says Rona Rustige, curator at Glanmore. “Because we’re a national historic site, and we like to be as accurate as possible in our presentation, we want the house to look like it did in the 1880s.”

The cost of the project was around $75,000, funded by the Parrot Foundation, but Rustige is pleased with the results.

“Oh it’s spectacular. It’s a huge improvement over what has been on there over 40 years.”

Danielle McMahon-Jones, the administrator at Glanmore house, detailed the challenges they faced in getting the house ready for the restoration.

“We needed everything out of the museum in a short amount of time so it was a lot of work.”

No expense was spared in maintaining complete accuracy. The new carpet was even made in the same factory in England as the original carpeting in Glanmore,  over 130 years ago.

“Most people have been very, very excited,” says Jones. “We’ve gotten a lot of calls, this week especially, from people anxious to come in and see the new carpet and see the museum.”

Melissa Wakeling is the education and marketing coordinator for Glanmore.

“I sort of describe it as a 1970s movie theatre carpet,” she said with a laugh. “It’s not the sort of thing you would have found in a Victorian home. So it’s really nice to have a reproduction of the original carpet to replace it now.”

The old carpet on the right, compared to the restored carpet, on the left. Photo by Jaykob Storey.

Guests arrived early to see the reopened museum, including first time visitor Michael McKnight and his family. “We were off for today and decided to come down and check it out.  Heard some great things about it with the new carpet and everything.”

“It very much matches the original, and it’s very soft,” says McKnight, when asked about the new carpet.

“I think it was well worth the time and money. It’s definitely part of the conservation of the home and it’s definitely something everybody needs to see in the city, for sure.”

And he wasn’t the only one impressed by the changes at Glanmore. The moment Judie Preece, a volunteer at the site and a member of the Friends of Glanmore, walked into the building she took a deep breath and declared, “Oh! It’s beautiful!”

She told QNetNews, “I had to drop in to see this new carpet. We’ve been anticipating its arrival and I’m just completely blown away. It just brings everything together. The original colours in the walls, on the doors here at Glanmore. Because it is really a duplication of the original carpet here in Glanmore, back in 1883. I’m sure other people will be equally blown away and delighted to see it…Glanmore national historic site is a treasure. It’s something Belleville should be cherishing.”