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Quebec
Press Garden Tour
2003
Including Mosaiculture & Reford Gardens
Thursday
morning I left from the Edmonton airport to arrive in Montreal at 3:20
p.m. From there I went to our hotel for the first leg of this tour.
Our
hotel was the Hotel Le Saint-Sulpice, a beautiful boutique hotel in old
Montreal, just down the street from Notre-Dame Basilica. This elegant 108
luxury suite hotel has taken shape on the historic site that was once the
residence of Charles LeMoyne, Sieur d’Iberville, one of Canada’s most
successful fur traders. I checked in and then went to the 3rd floor and
when I opened the door I was greeted with a most wonderful and large room.
Very posh with it’s own little kitchenette to make tea in the evening. The
picture of the umbrellas is the inner patio that I can see from my room.
Our room was courtesy of the hotel and Tourisme Montreal. Visit
www.lesaintsulpice.com Visit
www.tourisme-montreal.org
Quick
to the room to change then in the lobby by 5 so we could all meet and head
out to Chateau Ramezay Museum then on to the Montreal Botanical Garden.
On
our walk over we had a professional tourist guide that was so informative
we all felt very comfortable in this area knowing its history up to the
present. The island of Montreal is approx. 25 x 10 kms and has 24 bridges.
The Chateau is also in the heart of old Montreal and once was a residence
of the Governor of Montreal. It now houses a collection of historic
objects dating from pre-contact Amerindian days to the early 20th century.
The architecture is of the French Regime and the first building to be
classified as an historic monument by the Government of Quebec. What we
visited was the Governor’s Garden, a quiet haven in the middle of a
bustling city. The tour group was divided and led by the two people you
see here in period costume. It is a replica of an 18th century seigneurial
garden and invites you to stroll among the four distinct yet very
important plots. There are herbs and medicinal plants like maidenhair fern
that at one time was second to beaver pelts in export. It was used in the
manufacture of shampoo. Ornamental, food plants and fruit trees and bushes
complete the plots. Each was vital as this was the only source of fresh
available.
Called
the most beautiful house in Canada, it was built in 1705 by Claude de
Ramezay who hired a master mason and architect, Pierre Couturier. At that
time there was a garden and the orchard alone covered 41,880 square feet.
The property has a wonderful history including that of The Beaver House,
the headquarters of the American Revolutionary Army and from 1778-1893 it
was a prestigious residence which included the Special Council, the Court
House, the Ministry of Public Education, the Jacques-Cartier Normal
School, Laval University’s faculty of medicine and law and finally the
Court of Queen’s Bench.
In
1893 the Government no longer needed the building and it was to be sold at
auction. The City of Montreal acquired the building after much persuasion
from the Antiguarian and Numismatic Society of Montreal. They agreed to
establish a museum, a portrait gallery and a library. In 1929 the City of
Montreal officially recognized this building as a heritage building.
There
are many events that take place from June to September.
Visit their website at
www.chateauramezay.qc.ca
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