Lavender Hall Estate, private residence turns B&B
It’s hard to believe Lavender Hall Estate rose from the ashes of a devastating fire only 20 years ago.
Owner Randall Munger has overseen the home’s reconstruction with the intention of maintaining its historic integrity.
The estate, named for its proximity to the hamlet of Lavender, has transitioned from private home to bed-and-breakfast.
At almost 7,000 square feet, the home is a far cry from the original farmhouse. Munger said he purchased the house in 1968 at the age of 24, having positioned himself firmly in the magazine publishing industry with Homemakers Digest and later Canadian House and Home Magazine.
He purchased the 100-acre farm from Harry Coulter who had purchased it from Stewart Norris.
Munger said he was attracted to the property for its landscape features, the mature maple trees and beautiful ponds, but the house, which had been used to store grain, was in desperate need of a facelift.
The original house was refurbished and almost doubled in size to 2,500 square feet before it burned to the ground in 1993.
The following year, crews set to work rebuilding the house in all of its current grandeur. Munger said he and his former wife, Allison Smith, designed every inch of the house themselves.
“As tragic as it was, it provided an opportunity to get our creative juices flowing,” said Munger during a tour of the inn.
Visitors entering through the front door are met with rich wood wainscoting and flooring, and a grand staircase that leads to a balcony, all under an antique chandelier that has been converted to electricity.
Munger has filled the estate’s living areas and four suites with hand picked treasures. He makes note of a Mennonite cabinet, one of the oldest around, a Twiss clock, from the Montreal clockmakers, a mantle from the ED Smith family, and three working Rumford fireplaces.
To replicate the original hardwood flooring, Munger said he purchased the boards from graineries in old barns between Toronto and Clearview and beyond. The widest boards, said Munger, were used in graineries to minimize cracks, reducing spillage. The floors at Lavender Hall Estate are up to 36 inches wide. He said it took at least six graineries to make all the flooring.
“When I ran out of flooring, I couldn’t go to Hamilton Brothers and get more boards, I had to go get another barn,” said Munger.
The estate is now being marketed as luxury accommodation, catering to weddings and corporate retreats.
Innkeeper Angela Lloyd is on hand to customize an experience for guests by arranging for activities at nearby facilities, including golf, horseback riding, massage, hair and make-up. The estate is set up to host weddings, with a bridal suite and a groom’s lair, and pre-wedding bachelorette weekends.
Rooms start at $375 per night and the whole house can be booked for $2,000 per night. A private chef is available for hire and breakfast is included with the cost of an overnight stay.
For details, visit lavenderhallestate.com.
