Belmere

Sited on a peninsula that jutted into the lake on an estate of 800-acres, the main house that stood until 1950 was referred to as 'the big house'. The mile-long drive that led up to it was known as 'the avenue' and it was lined with sugar maples with hay fields and woodland on either side. A natural spring fed all the buildings and among other delicacies its gardens produced melon and asparagus. To its south, back from the shore, lay Molson's Island and aside from the outbuildings already mentioned by Lady Dufferin, there was a gate lodge, two wharfs, a gardener’s cottage, a hermitage, a farmhouse and additional farm buildings. A frequent guest here from the early 1900s, Virginia Holbrook remembered:

Bridle paths wound through the property; the old fences had rustic gates with loop-shaped iron hooks which could be lifted by riding crops without a rider's dismounting. A rustic gate opened onto the long, gravel path leading to the garden, with thick hedges of cedar and borders of trimmed grass growing at either side. Beyond the raspberry canes and flower beds, a large vegetable garden grew on a southerly slope, with an orchard and small fruits nearby. The gardener's cottage overlooked the garden from a height, and well below lay the tree-lined shore of Quinn Bay... Meals at the house were delicious. Invariably, there was afternoon tea; high tea was at seven. The cool dairy-icehouse next to the kitchen fascinated me. It had thick walls of granite. Pans were set on the broad shelf as soon as the Jersey cows were milked, cream rose to the top, so thick it had to be ladled, never poured.

When Sir Hugh died in 1882 he left Belmere in equal shares to three of his four sons, having disinherited his eldest son. After the youngest son, Arthur, died in 1893, his share was divided between all his siblings but it was his sister Edythe Allan (Mrs Routledge) who then bought out all her siblings to become the sole owner of Belmere. She'd married her husband, J. Turner Routledge, in the previous year. He was an Englishman who came to Canada to run a ranch in Alberta and at Belmere he raised prize-winning livestock including short-horn cattle, horses and pigs. In 1894, Edythe grew the estate to 1,000-acres and after 'J.T.' was injured in a train accident they lived here year-round for the rest of their lives. Tragically, Mr. Routledge terminated his days by shooting himself and it was reported that, "domestic trouble is supposed to have been the cause of the suicide".

The Routledges had two sons who grew up here, one of whom - Allan - was killed in World War I. The other, Major Jim Routledge, inherited Belmere and in 1950 he replaced the main house with a smaller one while re-using much of the materials including the marble fireplaces. He raised purebred Hereford cattle here that were sold around the world and he died here in 1977. The estate was then sold out of the family but remains in tact. The new owner, Robert Gratton, has built a classical chateau here named "Pointe Belmere" that in every part looks as though it was built in 18th century Bordeaux.