Lakeside

This is one of koala’s favorite.

If Canada were to have its episodes of Downtown Abbey, perhaps this would be the Crawley family’s Highclere Castle.

With those pointy church-like roofs, and castle like archery windows, this Norman chateau mixes the vibe of an Anglo-Saxon medieval castle with a French Normandy cathedral.

I guess this Anglo-French combination makes it kind of architecturally “Canadian”? It is such a simple, yet stern design.

Compared to those Toronto Annex stockbroker’s Georgian Revivals, the minimalist, “monotone” color may not seem as grand and luxurious.

However, sitting on a 700 acre estate, Eaton Hall has its own private lake as its backdrop, perfect for that mid-summer picnic, or that secret spontaneous romantic walk.

What’s more, whether you are driving, biking or walking down the mile long private road that winds and twists around the lake to reach the house, it creates a soothing entrance experience that very few old Toronto houses can rival.

The grand porte-cochere, tall yet quite narrow, almost too narrow for those modern Kardashian blacked out SUVs, but perfectly at home, for horse drawn carriages 100 years ago.  

When the Eaton family sold the estate to Seneca College some time ago, they had one condition, never take down the portrait of Lady Eaton and her husband Sir John Eaton.

As far as stuffed “animal” Instagram accounts go, I suppose there are many foodie bears, traveling bears and fashion bears out there.

Geeky bear is perfectly at home as an architectural bear, a nostalgic bear, a historical bear, appreciating fine structures from the yester-years.

Lake Seneca, King City