Welcome to the Grange: The Robinson-Adamson House c1828
Places of interest
Front Hall
Start your tour at the original front door of the building, the Grange, also known as the Robinson-Adamson House, is a Regency Cottage built in a classic Ontario vernacular regency style between 1828 and 1833.
Discovery Centre
This lovely yellow room is currently used as a meeting space and is the home to our reference library. Previously, this room would have been the formal parlour, a place where the public was received and business conducted, especially during the time of the first owner and later as a surgery for Doctor Beaumont Dixie. The last family to live in the house, the Adamson’s used the room as a traditional formal parlour and also hosted two family funerals.
Heritage Resource Centre
The turquoise-coloured room is the heart of our organization today. It is where our heritage staff offices are and it also provides a great working space for students and members of the public who wish to conduct their own research.
Summer Kitchen
Today the summer kitchen is the main entrance of our office. The original summer kitchen was likely added by Doctor Dixie in the 1840s to extend the square footage of the building and also to provide a practical space for cooking that would ensure that the main house remained cool in summer. The original summer kitchen was removed in 1979 and the present “summer kitchen” room was built on the original footprint of 19th century addition.
Lower Hall
The modern basement was added in 1979 when the house was moved off its foundations for about six months; the basement features a modern kitchen, bathrooms, and our Lower Meeting Hall which is used as a board room, an art gallery, and can be rented as a meeting hall for community groups.
The Grounds
The house has been painted in period colours which date from the 1840s. We have chosen to use lighter pastels inside, however the colour palette of the day was mainly comprised of bolder shades like the teal on the outside of the house. Outside, you will also find the beautiful Garden of Remembrance.
