Albert Seaman's Paintings, Drawings and Essays

Home

Introduction

Gallery

Articles

Links

The Castle

Illustration from the book "Heritage Brampton - 1978"

Pen and ink drawing on illustration board.  Original size 15½" (39.4 cm) by 19¼" (49 cm).

This house in Brampton, Ontario, is a dignified example of the mid-nineteenth century English manor house, with obvious Elizabethan influence.  It was built by George Wright, who came to Canada with his wife Elizabeth in 1811.   It was originally of red brick construction.  In the early 1900s, the home suffered considerable damage from fire, at which time a turret on the south side was destroyed.  Subsequently, substantial modifications were made and the house changed hands several times, until it was acquired by Mr. and Mrs. A.G. Davis in the early 1930s.  Their son, William, spent his childhood years there and eventually became Premier of Ontario.  

This picture was the nineteenth in the series prepared for the Heritage Brampton book, which was originally intended to have twenty historic buildings represented.  But, as often happens, time ran out and the publication went to press with only nineteen completed.  In fact, "completed" is a slight extension of the truth.  All of the illustrations in the book were to be hung in a public exhibition concurrently with printing, and this picture had only reached the stage shown here a few minutes before opening time.  Thus, with ink still wet, and the bark of the tree in the top right-hand corner not quite complete, it was dumped into its frame and rushed to the gallery at the last minute.  It remains that way to this day.  

Picture status - In a private collection.