Willistead Manor is sparkling

by Dawn Gray

Crowds of all ages are filling the hallways of Willistead Manor to see the unique mansion adorned in holiday trimming.

The annual Willistead Manor Holiday Tours take place every Sunday in December in Olde Walkerville. During this time The Friends of Willistead, members of the Willistead Manor Board of Directors, local area designers and many volunteers transform this historic landmark into a glittering star for the public to enjoy.

Jacquelyn Capaldi, a volunteer with Friends of Willistead, said the number of people coming to see the Manor this holiday season has grown from previous years.

“Last week, we had between four and five hundred people,” said Capaldi. “And today the crowds have just been crazy.”

The Manor is currently under renovations, and according to Capaldi, this has forced the tours and decorators to scale back this year. However, this has not discouraged the public from coming out to the Manor.

“We had to avoid decorating a few rooms this year because of the renovations. And, normally we would do tours on Sundays and Wednesdays — next year we will be going back to that,” said Capaldi.

Along with beauty and holiday sparkle, Willistead Manor is also filled with nostalgia. The solid wood floors and detailed crown molding bring back memories for some people, like Tracy Scott Mueler and her mother Mary Ann Scott Nuell who toured the Manor on Sunday.

“I love the architecture in every room. It reminds me of my home in Dundas,” said Nuell, who once owned a similar style home years ago near Hamilton, Ont.

“So this is very beautiful. There are a lot of similarities between the two houses,” said Nuell.

Her daughter also appreciates the nostalgia of the Manor, but also enjoys the historical tangibility. Mueler said she is planning to return to the Manor next Sunday with own son.

“I think my 15 year old would love it. In most houses like this you can’t go into the rooms and you can’t touch stuff,” said Mueler. “Here, you can.”

“And we have to keep this history alive. I don’t think we keep enough history for our children to see.”

The 36-room mansion that sits within the 15-acre Willistead Park was built in 1906 and was briefly home to the second son of Hiram Walker, Edward Chandler Walker and his wife, Mary. It was designed by renowned architect Albert Kahn in the 16th-century Tudor-Jacobean style of an English manor house.

The Willistead Manor Holiday Tours will run for one final Sunday, from noon-5 p.m. on Dec. 17 and will also feature The Silver Bells live bell ringers performance from 1:30 p.m.–3:30 p.m. Admission is $5.75 for adults, $4.75 for seniors and $2.25 for children 12 and under.