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comfortably over the aged stones at the Hock wood homo of Mi and Mrs Vincent Price An Introduces the flower border the old pump still stands at the door of this hospitable home In today Press visit and tour of the Price home by way of pictures and words Staff Photo gracious old home built by second settler AND Vincent Price il The linn on thi entrance through the old nil feme reads Farm and as you follow the windy trail up tin trie shaded hill you are at onto impressed such a hind could possibly lie encompassed in a small village and yet hidden enough to tup tun the privacy of rastic solitude farm home of two comparative newcomers to the Rockwood village and of district a most elegant examples of early Hie stone home of Mr and Mrs Vincent Price located off No Highway as one drives through has the banks of for Its farm grounds most privalant boundary its its acreage stretches as far as the railroad tracks right down to Rockwood first school on Harris Street yean old It a marvellous old home built some years ago by Colonel Henry Strange second original settler in the district and a builder who records as both a prominent and somewhat unusual figure in the of his day who to the people In the urea was generally known as Squire Strange A surveyor by profession It was Squire who laid out plans of the village of and was also the appointed Magistrate or the township of The present property of Wish wood Farm comprises some CHAIR ON left leaves room for lady bustle old spinning wheel makes another corner attractive Stuff Photo Company It is a known hut Unit it was John Gait acting lor tin Canada Company who did much to develop and Gait unit much of this part of Western Ontario Unfortunately however Priory which was fine example of a large Canadian house built of choicest timber no longer exists although a built to scale is to be seen in Riverside Park Guelph brochure According to the brochure which the Prices had ZOO to acres originally acquired by Henry Strange in the early IB and the story authenticated by members of his family us to how he came Into possession of this extensive area is in itself an interesting one settler lbs fattier also Henry Strange was one of the earliest settlers in what is now the City of He had come from Wills Kent apparently in the early 1620 and bought the eighty five acres all within the first house built in well village of It is the last known as The Priory which remaining integral part of the was erected by John Gait of the prepared on the compiled historical of the property It is evident that Henry Strange Sr must alio turn acquired substantial land to the east of in what is now the area in the Township of family story is that when Henri Strange the son was about to be married his father gave him tht choice of either a house in or the gift of some 1 acres of forest ind in the Township and tht son chose the latter After clearing much of the and on his newly acquired property the son selected as the for his house a prominent knoll overlooking both the River and the road through the Village of which has since become part of Provincial Highway No Delightful surprise A tour through the lovely old home is a delightful surprise It has been tastefully decorated and furnished to match the early background of its original era and as one proceeds from room to room one feels the genuine hospitality and warmth that exudes Over the years the vintage residence has had few owners and each in their turn kept the buddings in good order and by the time Mr and Mrs Vincent Price onto the country home only minor restoration was required in its preservation On entry into the Vincent Price farmhouse the heavy front door opens onto a majestic pine- floored centre hallway with a spiral staircase to the second floor There are eight fireplaces in the vintage homestead and all are functioning It is evident as cording to tin Wishwood I arm brochure the k portion was built it seems in early lfflOji from stone in Colonel own and of four rooms two on floor Apparently there had also been a stone smoke house at the of the house complete with fire place and chimney for cooking purposes However this has since dissipated into ruins Hit front or main part of the house built a few years later was of more finished stone and the basement of the entire is deep with high ceilings and completely done in stone Prosperity It would seem that Squire Strange had made rapid towards prosperity as the front and newer portion of the building is a slightly grander structure than that built earlier and the pine flooring in the later section of the house is of narrower dimensions as compared to the wide pine in the half When the Prices moved into the dwelling It was required that five coots of paint remover be applied to restore the gorgeous pine floors to their original quality Today they glisten reflecting the early Canadiana tradition Wallpapering repainting and replacing bannister rails and supports has been the eight year project of Mr and Mrs who acquired r arm in 1J and named after a fictional homestead as described In one of the writers T S Flhott novels No structural were required Vincent and Ruth were intent in preserving all Its old charm and characteristic they did however have it rewired electrically High tellings the house beautifully sculptured mouldings enhance the tall ceilings which are some 14 feet in height In the master study on the right of the spacious hallway the entire room is framed on the ceiling by exquisite floral plaster cutouts which appear too intricate to be lathe constructed but too perfectly matched to be carved individually According to Mr Price Squirt Strange when making his ad heard that artisans from Italy were building mansions in New England and commissioned them to do the scroll work which can be seen in the hallways on fixture bases and around ceilings the second section of the house Not one portion of the moulding is cracked or fractured indicative til tin solidity of iLs framework mid the ability of the artist Another feature of the home is the deep window sills on which Ruth has carefully simple glass curtains In order that tlie beauty of the woodwork windows he seen It is that the reason fi tin unusual height of the sills was to diseourage small children In tin attempting outside so the y wouldn t he frightened wolves I Vldorlan Die living room furnished in early Victorian boasts furnishings from 1 ngland with a copy of the artist Duly Violin as painted a young artist friend of the Prices Several other pictures of the Prices summer home on the Bay of and SI ilepu te by the famous artist Jack Humphrey now ised who tame from s the it Kent Ifte toil up of IP ve in my lor ii ill flu a is a i till till lip with Matisse the tine whit his ham anil 111 tins stall ease mm il Hum home inldilign Ik use ild in si Hi lived in it hi dil not one of a inusi inn ilinosplii re Ii is the liar pine put into In flour has ilh stone and first si lion into a stink room when eloeuments law bonks have hern neatly mil also serving as re nun of Vim e law Kingsinill liv I in I he wis the In 1 v In fori his enjoy living in win re they few ye his Staff Phnto her affiliation an past National In of United Nations in and Natu mil Chairman UNI si twohavi inquired mime fin nils Many of their ixisse si on at of sti Ii have he e give to tin their navels In devastated llirongtinut tin wot hi and is friendship glfta whenllielr home is litre fur tiaihirn dintors iTigineerN or any mi who nunc lotht Ilillllplni to mi the as their UNI he i win a Vint at wan the Natlinal for lh Hindi for Hi I lion through UNI l r it fitting til lit and Vini Im i want to on of Ontario tlisappt r I Ikiiue steads Ititurds show hat Sum Sin of mint Hi A music room with is a charming smeller one off lh which again reflects tht hospitality of thi present owners as many more mementos of the past decorate ills and tables Two dolls completely attired in the unifi mi of the Hoy Regiment are strong reminders of Vincent lYiccs early First World War irmy days when he was a British I Machine Gun Officer in the Royal Grenadiers Lovely accent the dining room with its delightfully arranged collection of Victorian bottles and painting by Ruth mother lo the kitchen attired in the colours of the famoas French Henri Matisse is hung artfully on the painted walls and old farm feed bench adds a new innovation to the vintage everything displays taste and signs of rapport with past traditions as the personal Captain chest from the last Ontario sailing ship stands in the a save from a vessel which was destroyed because it took up space in the Toronto harbour An old spuming wheel a grand father clock and numerous items exquisite Chippendale grace the rooms and hallways in the ancient house and upstairs bedrooms with heirloom bed steads and portraits of daughter Laura Anne are interestingly arranged Pine sideline As one moves from the front portion of the second floor to the back the wider pine floor boards remind us of the earlier era when f the Rockwood farm was spotted with rounds of pine trees which we understand was a side business of the country squire who is listed as owning and operating a saw mill a carding machine and cloth factory well as the grist mill which is now to be seen across from the high way as the Mill now owned and operated by Jimmle Milne of Main Street Squire Strange also conducted a limestone business on his property Looking from the upper back stairway down to the kitchen one is amused to see a fantasy of rabbits resembling those of Henry Matisse artistry and Ruth Price weaves a comical yarn of a visit from id room in the high hi si mint is a i dali of of true inliqiuly I In I minimi Hit inning i sin rwm in aiithentii tubbier wtrn anil used st New lie pun Inch pcrft the 1 oven Copper Pins He Market w iter jug re A IAN WOHKMLN f moulding in ceiling of home It workmen came over Regarded as outstanding to to do examples of early Canadians this work I i lHli II IS had iiimc lot an ye of age He luiil ii Income a we resident mil in I Over tin years liowtvir hi saw his fortune diminish all his until in lit dii d ind the time of his el was living In a tiny house in Valley Itoad to which he had ludicrously applied the liberty Hall In restoring the Squire early residence Mr and Mrs Vincent Price efforts have as Is mi in the arm documentary attempted to maintain for posterity two which must modern as e restored est driwings of the lurest of Maces historic Sardine linning I caret I- verything follows Ruth Price who served it the completion of Die first Great War as a siotherupisl in Christie Street Hospital his had Pholo of re storing and repairing After a post gr University she imugurated General Hospital She lifetime enjoys things and building mentioned In the brochure refers to the old stone barn also on the property which is equally a triumph of r and engineering as organized by I a a prominent engineer for whom Street In was named VIEW UPSTAIRS from the front door shows an impressive Through the various DECORATIV old grandfather clock graceful bannisters and moulding roonlsUiat the tome has been PanS Huggard their artist Staff Photo built in two sections and Staff Photo friend a plain wall and a desire THE PRICES reconstructed a kitchen in their basement as a centennial project using authentic furnishings Staff Photo