Look inside the sprawling $1.375-million home where a former Canadian PM was born
The house where Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden was born is up for sale for the first time in this century. The Nova Scotia residence is listed at $1.375-million.
The property, on Grand Pré Road in Grand-Pré, N.S., was originally built in 1792, several decades after the area was settled by New England Planters from the colonies to the south. On June 26, 1854, Borden, a descendent of these settlers, was born there.
“It originally was an Acadian house that had been burnt down,” Brian Twohey, the current owner, told National Post. “The new people built a house on the foundation.” The Acadians had been forcibly removed by the British in the 1750s over fears they would side with the French in the Seven Years War.
Twohey bought the property in 1999 with his wife, and made extensive renovations to the tune of $800,000 in 2004.
“Tacky we were not,” he said of the addition, which matches the style of the original home. He noted that the property’s heritage designation prohibits major changes to the outside — “if there’s a window facing east there still has to be a window facing east” — but the interior has been thoroughly modernized.
“My wife and I loved the property because of the historical significance,” Twohey said. “That was the allure of the property. It’s not because of the design of the house or anything like that, its because of who was born there.”
Borden, who had a career as a teacher and lawyer before entering politics, was elected as a member of Parliament in 1896, running as a Conservative. In 1901 he was named party leader and became leader of the opposition, and in 1911 he became Canada’s eighth prime minister.
He served for nine years, a period that included the First World War, the Halifax Explosion, The Winnipeg general strike, and the right for female citizens over the age of 21 to vote in federal elections and run for Parliament. Borden retired from politics in 1920 and died in 1937 in Ottawa, just shy of his 83rd birthday.
Twohey bought the property from a British woman who worked as a midwife. She is turn had purchased it from two maiden nieces of Borden, one of whom was a nurse in the First World War. They’re buried “next door” at Covenanter Church, the oldest Presbyterian church in Canada.
Construction on the church started in 1804, so its steeple would have already towered over the property when Borden was born. His parents are also buried nearby.
“In those days they had what was called a birthing room,” Twohey said. “That became my son’s room, and now it’s one of the guest rooms.”
He said he’s had relatives of Borden visit the property, and added there were still a few pieces of furniture from that time, as well as some historic photographs on the walls. One of them shows Borden surrounded by images of The Union Cabinet, a multi-party coalition government he put together during the war to help shore up support for conscription. The frame proudly declares: “These are the men.”
The home sits on three acres of property in Grand-Pré, which in 2012 was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site for its stunning views.
Details of the home include five bedrooms and three full baths. The original heritage wing includes a formal dining room and living room, while the 2004 addition includes a “great room” with a wood-burning fireplace, high ceilings and custom millwork.
The kitchen, custom-designed by DeCoste of Kingston, N.S., has a centre island and walk-in pantry. A built-in heated garage served by double driveways has space for four vehicles. Also on the property is a two-storey barn with a cottage room overlooking the garden.
The property was last sold in 1999 at a price of $135,000, a tenth of its current listing. Twohey said he plans to stay in the area and will move to nearby Windsor, N.S.
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