London,
Ontario: a city whose fate is historically linked to that of Canada itself.
While our city is not as old as her namesake, she is home to a rich, oft
overlooked history. Planning for the city began in the late 18th Century and
while the preservation of London's more distant past has been relatively
minimal, one site remains and this is the site we will explore in today's
post.
House Museums in London:
House Museums in London and around the world must be
versatile, when we compare the Eldon House site with another London House
Museum, Banting House there becomes evident a stark contrast in presentation. The Banting
House has been stripped and completely designed around telling the story of
Banting himself; the only rooms left in an “authentic 1919” state are those that
pertain directly to the story of the discovery of insulin: the bedroom
(location of idea's conception), the study and the medical office. A large
portion of the rooms are devoid of furniture and house only displays of
artifacts or pictorial exhibitions. The majority of the unadorned rooms in
Banting House are used for teaching exhibits.[1] The Eldon House has addressed
this particular issue with the house museum by adding an Interpretive Centre
to the grounds rather than re-purposing space in the house. When we move into
the interior of Eldon House, the true breadth of historical content becomes
apparent. The goal of the house is not as at Banting Square to encapsulate one
very crucial moment in time, but to dictate a progression of the house and its
inhabitants over the years of their occupation.
and larger crowds.
Right: The Pink Bedroom in the Eldon House is fully furnished and
equipped as though the young lady occupying it will be returning to bed that
evening. There is no access to visitors and artifacts are abundant.
Eldon House as a Museum:
“By the
standards of the day, the house John and Amelia
moved into with
their eight children was a veritable mansion. It
was set on a
piece of high ground overlooking the forks of the
Thames”[2]
The house
and surrounding grounds of the Harris Family have been eloquently and
delicately transformed into a house museum. The house spans several decades from
its construction in the Victorian era, to the 1960s. The Victorian home is one
of clutter, mystery and luxury. The style of display common during this time
lends itself marvelously to the concept and aesthetic of a house museum.
Interior rooms are small to average size by modern standards, yet the
beautifully decorated rooms create a feeling of endless grandeur. One could
examine a room three times and still have a new object to be found on the
fourth. The objects adorning the house in collection cabinets some modern (many
Victorian in origin) are originals, or of a kind with that of the historical owners’
oddities. Though many of the Harris’ objects have been removed or inherited by
family members the museum provides a safe space for the historical artifacts of
London families. They provide maintenance and conservation for items that may
have sat in an attic or basement neglected.
Image 1
Waffle Iron
This waffle iron is one of many items donated to the Eldon House
by local families. The reason I have provided a picture of this particular item
for this dialogue is that it was my family who donated the iron. The kitchen in
Eldon House is set up in a 1930s style with a stove and refrigerator. Yet many
items such as this waffle iron are from a time before electricity and would
only have been practical to be used on a cast iron stove. The historical
breadth of artifacts is simply one of the ways that the Eldon House chooses to
display a room in the house at one specific interval, while paying homage to
years gone by. It is a fact that we as a society hold on to our objects through
the years even after they fall out of style or become obsolete. The idea that
owners of Eldon House did so as well can be seen in several rooms outside the
kitchen. The first room of our tour the Drawing Room was one of the newest
additions. The museum provided a 1930s setting for this room alongside
photographs of the original Victorian décor. As a part of the tour the guide
requested we examine the Victorian image and attempt to locate the furniture
that had been retained in the re-decorations We found two chairs and a cabinet
that had withstood the de-cluttering of the room. The sheer span of artifacts
in the museum assist in telling a greater and more human story with which all
viewers can relate.
When the ropes for daily visitors are drawn back you have
the feeling instantly of being in a home rather than an exhibit. The barricades
seem very temporary and you are given a sense of being given a tour in secret
while the family has gone for a holiday. There are the necessary reminders of
your present temporal location such as signs requesting people not touch
artefacts as well as fishing line over chairs and connected to smaller items of
value that may attract the attention of sticky fingers. The obviously wealth of
the family can be seen in the lavish materials adorning the walls and the well-crafted
furniture. There is much emphasis on
African and Asian art and artifacts on the main floor of the house. Spears,
shields and animal heads all adorn the richly decorated wall paper. The
Victorian idea of decorating every surface has been reduced to better display
many of the artifacts as present day visitors find the amount of clutter to be
claustrophobic or overwhelming.
Alligator Shield on Oriental Wallpaper
Ronald Harris, the grandson
of the builders of Eldon House was a mining engineer in Africa and as such had
access to a great many artifacts that can be seen in the very Victorian display
hallways at Eldon House. The walls are fair teeming with African animal skulls
mounted on the walls as well as tribal artifacts taken from the local peoples.
There is an overwhelming “masculine” sensibility in all the items adorned here.
The majority of the collection, which is displayed in glass cabinets, contains
military artifacts or male paraphernalia (pipes etc.) from the various travels of
the Harris family. In the military collection are shells from the war of 1812
and the First World War assault on Vimy Ridge. While the African theme runs
through this area, there is a quirky juxtaposition of these items with those of
Japanese or Chinese origin. My preferred example of this (in the highest
Victorian fashion) is the shields and animal heads mounted on rich red and cold
printed wallpaper from Japan. It exudes luxury as well as offering an effective
display of the artifacts. The hall is not the only area in the house where you
can find interesting artifacts from the Orient and Africa. I took inventory of
several Asian china pieces in each room as well as Egyptian and Indian idols. The
exotic items are symbols of wealth and curiosity and help the viewer to imagine
what visiting the owner’s for a party or social call may have included. A great
number of interesting stories to be sure![3]
It must
be remembered that the house as well, is as significant an artifact as its
contents and must be preserved and maintained with great care and diligence.
The city of London has encroached upon a once idyllic rural setting but the house
stands with poise. The team that manages the Eldon House has allowed for those
local and distant to see into a rich historic past and take a walk through
time.
 |
| London's oldest house juxtaposed with some of its newest residences |
Bibliography
"A Souvenir:
Eldon House." London, ON: Museum London, no date.
Canadian Diabetes
Association. Banting House. 2012.
http://www.diabetes.ca/about-us/who/banting-house/ (accessed March 30, 2013).
Eldon House Tour (October 2,
2013).
Harris, Donna
Ann. "Current Trends in Historic House Museums." In New
Solutions for House Museums: Ensuring the Long-Term Preservation of America's
Historic Houses , by Donna Ann Harris, 1-19. Lanham: AltaMira
Press, 2007.
Jessica,
interview by Elizabeth Jewlal. Banting House London, Ontario, (April
20, 2013).
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