Virtually unchanged since the last century, Eldon House is London's oldest residence and contains family heirlooms, furnishings and priceless treasures of the Harris family as well as a beautiful 19th century-style garden. Built in 1834 for John and Amelia Harris, this historic home remained in the family until 1960 when it was donated to the City of London. The house and its gardens remain a place of beauty and tranquility.

Architecturally, Eldon House was influenced by the Georgian and Regency styles of the early 19th century. Many of the decorative objects found in Eldon House were brought home from the Harris family’s numerous trips to places all over the world. In fact, a large number of pieces remain from the world tour the family took over an eight-month period beginning in the fall of 1897. Travelling to Victoria, they set sail in the steamer Empress of India, landing at Yokohama. From there they toured many sites in Japan and then went on to China, India, the Middle East, Egypt, Europe and England. 

Originally, Eldon House sat on 11 acres of land that extended to the north and west to the river banks and were richly adorned with a variety of trees, shrubs, vines and flowers. When the Harris family donated the house and lands to the Cty of London in 1960, the property became know as Harris Park. 

From the early days, the steep bank facing the rivers was terraced to make the flats and river bank more accessible. Today, visitors can see the remnants of those paths. 

Eldon House is located at 481 Ridout St. For additional information, please visit www.eldonhouse.ca or call (519) 661-0333.

(Copy courtesy of Joe Kirchmyer/Kirchmyer Media, and Eldon House. Joe can be reached at jkirchmyer@verizon.net.)

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