Bell O'Donnell House, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Built c. 1858 at nos. 96 & 98 Water Street.
"The Bell O'Donnell House, located at 96-98 Water Street, is situated on the southeast corner of Mary and Water Streets, in the City of Guelph. This two-storey limestone building was designed in the Gothic Revival style by architect Matthew Bell and was constructed in circa 1858.
The property was designated, by the City of Guelph for its historic and architectural value, under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (By-law 1979-10058).
The Bell O'Donnell House is associated with Matthew Bell (1820-1883), an architect, sculptor and mason. Bell came to Guelph from Newcastle, England with his family around 1850 and purchased the property, on which the home stands, in 1858. From the quarry at the junction of Water Street and the stone bridge, Bell procured the limestone needed to build this, his first home. The building served as the Bell family's residence until it was sold, in 1872, to local melodeon-maker John Jackson. Long-time owner Wilf O'Donnell purchased the property in 1948.
The Bell O'Donnell House has come to receive national recognition due to the distinctive series of eight carved stone heads which adorn the northeast gable of the house. It is due to these near life-size heads that the home has become colloquially known as “The House of Heads”. The structure has survived with little alteration for 150 years and is one of a number of stone houses, including 40 and 49 Albert Street and 22-26 Oxford Street, in this area of the City, which illustrate Bell's fine sculptural decoration.
The Bell O'Donnell House is an example of fine craftsmanship and exquisite detail, as illustrated in the sculptural decoration of the eight carved stone heads adorning the home's northeast elevation. During the winters, Bell worked on sculpting intricately detailed lintels for the windows and doorways, the eight heads, and other carved works to be used in the construction of this fine Gothic Revival structure. It has been noted that Bell was a great devotee of the works of Charles Dickens, and that perhaps the heads were modeled after characters from his novels. The interior of the home is also impressive, containing much of the original woodwork including an unusual staircase, lit by a skylight." - info from the City of Guelph.
"Guelph (/ˈɡwɛlf/ GWELF; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as The Royal City, it is roughly 22 km (14 mi) east of Kitchener and 70 km (43 mi) west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wellington County Road 124. It is the seat of Wellington County, but is politically independent of it.
Guelph began as a settlement in the 1820s, established by John Galt, who was in Upper Canada as the first superintendent of the Canada Company. He based the headquarters, and his home, in the community. The area—much of which became Wellington County—was part of the Halton Block, a Crown reserve for the Six Nations Iroquois. Galt is generally considered Guelph's founder.
For many years, Guelph ranked at or near the bottom of Canada's crime severity list. However, the 2017 index showed a 15% increase from 2016. It had one of the country's lowest unemployment rates throughout the Great Recession. In late 2018, the Guelph Eramosa and Puslinch entity had an unemployment rate of 2.3%, which decreased to 1.9% by January 2019, the lowest of all Canadian cities. (The national rate at the time was 5.8%.) Much of this was attributed to its numerous manufacturing facilities, including Linamar." - info from Wikipedia.
Late June to early July, 2024 I did my 4th major cycling tour. I cycled from Ottawa to London, Ontario on a convoluted route that passed by Niagara Falls. During this journey I cycled 1,876.26 km and took 21,413 photos. As with my other tours a major focus was old architecture.
Find me on Instagram.
Bell O'Donnell House, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Built c. 1858 at nos. 96 & 98 Water Street.
"The Bell O'Donnell House, located at 96-98 Water Street, is situated on the southeast corner of Mary and Water Streets, in the City of Guelph. This two-storey limestone building was designed in the Gothic Revival style by architect Matthew Bell and was constructed in circa 1858.
The property was designated, by the City of Guelph for its historic and architectural value, under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (By-law 1979-10058).
The Bell O'Donnell House is associated with Matthew Bell (1820-1883), an architect, sculptor and mason. Bell came to Guelph from Newcastle, England with his family around 1850 and purchased the property, on which the home stands, in 1858. From the quarry at the junction of Water Street and the stone bridge, Bell procured the limestone needed to build this, his first home. The building served as the Bell family's residence until it was sold, in 1872, to local melodeon-maker John Jackson. Long-time owner Wilf O'Donnell purchased the property in 1948.
The Bell O'Donnell House has come to receive national recognition due to the distinctive series of eight carved stone heads which adorn the northeast gable of the house. It is due to these near life-size heads that the home has become colloquially known as “The House of Heads”. The structure has survived with little alteration for 150 years and is one of a number of stone houses, including 40 and 49 Albert Street and 22-26 Oxford Street, in this area of the City, which illustrate Bell's fine sculptural decoration.
The Bell O'Donnell House is an example of fine craftsmanship and exquisite detail, as illustrated in the sculptural decoration of the eight carved stone heads adorning the home's northeast elevation. During the winters, Bell worked on sculpting intricately detailed lintels for the windows and doorways, the eight heads, and other carved works to be used in the construction of this fine Gothic Revival structure. It has been noted that Bell was a great devotee of the works of Charles Dickens, and that perhaps the heads were modeled after characters from his novels. The interior of the home is also impressive, containing much of the original woodwork including an unusual staircase, lit by a skylight." - info from the City of Guelph.
"Guelph (/ˈɡwɛlf/ GWELF; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as The Royal City, it is roughly 22 km (14 mi) east of Kitchener and 70 km (43 mi) west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wellington County Road 124. It is the seat of Wellington County, but is politically independent of it.
Guelph began as a settlement in the 1820s, established by John Galt, who was in Upper Canada as the first superintendent of the Canada Company. He based the headquarters, and his home, in the community. The area—much of which became Wellington County—was part of the Halton Block, a Crown reserve for the Six Nations Iroquois. Galt is generally considered Guelph's founder.
For many years, Guelph ranked at or near the bottom of Canada's crime severity list. However, the 2017 index showed a 15% increase from 2016. It had one of the country's lowest unemployment rates throughout the Great Recession. In late 2018, the Guelph Eramosa and Puslinch entity had an unemployment rate of 2.3%, which decreased to 1.9% by January 2019, the lowest of all Canadian cities. (The national rate at the time was 5.8%.) Much of this was attributed to its numerous manufacturing facilities, including Linamar." - info from Wikipedia.
Late June to early July, 2024 I did my 4th major cycling tour. I cycled from Ottawa to London, Ontario on a convoluted route that passed by Niagara Falls. During this journey I cycled 1,876.26 km and took 21,413 photos. As with my other tours a major focus was old architecture.
Find me on Instagram.