Manoir-Papineau National Historic Site of Canada
A Guided Tour inside the Papineau Manor House
Detail of entryway, manor house facade, circa 1929.© Parks Canada / Fonds Louis-Joseph Papineau, Château Montebello / 206/ic-10/PR-6/S-106 no 3, 1929.A guided tour of the manor house is a must. Discover the numerous facets of Louis-Joseph Papineau: the seigneur, father and man of the household, courteous host, and man of culture.
Take the time to take the tour!
The Dining Room
The dining room, 1886.© Parks Canada / Fonds Louis-Joseph Papineau, Château Montebello / 206/ic-10/PR-6/S-99 no 10, 1886.
The spacious, comfortable dining room provided convivial surroundings for daily
gatherings with family and friends. There, too, the "art of living" could
be practiced down to the finest details. The pantry located next to the dining
room was once a regular feature of aristocratic homes. Originally, the term
had the meaning of its source word in Old French, paneterie–i.e., a "bread-room" in
which bread and other provisions were kept and prepared for serving. Later,
this type of room or area was also used to store plates, linen and above all
silverware, and was thus also referred to as the butler's or housemaid's pantry.
This location could also be used to give dishes a final touch before serving.
Along the west side of the dining room is a dumbwaiter, that Louis-Joseph Papineau also called "mon armoire de la salle à manger."
The Grand Salon or the Yellow Room
The yellow room, 1886.© National Archives of Canada / PA-115909/ J.G. Parks, Montréal, 1886.The yellow room of the Monte-Bello manor house is furnished for the most part with original pieces that belonged to the Papineau family, including: rugs, wallpaper, mahogany furniture, a large number of chairs, mirrors, drapes and valances.
During the 19th century, the drawing room was the most spacious and most handsomely furnished room of an upper-middle-class home. Also called the "reception room" on the original plans, the yellow room was where major gatherings were held, in accordance with Victorian era etiquette. During all ceremonial occasions, it was there that Seigneur Papineau and his family played host to guests, friends and leading figures of society.
The Blue Room
The blue room, 1886.© Parks Canada / Fonds Louis-Joseph Papineau, Château Montebello / 206/ic-10/PR-6/S-99 no 12 / J.G. Parks, Montréal, 1886.
In 1871, Louis-Joseph-Amédée Papineau took over from his father
as the head of the domain. In 1881, he had an addition built on to the grand
salon, called the "blue room," which he decorated with works of art,
a great medieval-style hearth, mirrors, vases and furniture from his home in
Montréal. The addition was built in accordance with Louis-Joseph Papineau's
original designs of the manor house, which made use of perspective and the laying
out of rooms in enfilade (i.e., in suites whose facing doorways are aligned with
one another). Such principles typified French-style room division in mansions.
The Bedroom of Louis-Joseph Papineau
The bedroom of Louis-Joseph Papineau, circa 1915.© Parks Canada / Fonds Anne Bourassa, album Bethune / 206/ic-1D/PR-6/S-02 no 8 / Hal Bethune, 1915.Even from the outset, the restrained, tastefully decorated bedroom of Louis-Joseph Papineau and his wife Julie Bruneau featured a luxury that was enjoyed by only the most fortunate of that time: an adjoining master bathroom, for their use alone. This uncommon comfort also testified to the privileged social status of the Papineau family.
It was here also that two major events in the Papineau family history occurred.
First, Julie Bruneau passed away in this bedroom on August 18, 1862. Nine years
later, the great Patriote leader also died there, surrounded by his favourite
books: L'Imitation de Jésus Christ (The Imitation of Christ), Oeuvres
de Sénèque (The Works of Seneca), Les Pensées de Marc-Aurèle
(Marcus Aurelius' Meditations), L'Histoire des Gaulois (History of the Gauls),
Les Poésies d'Horace (Horace's Odes and Epodes), and La Vie de Washington
(The Life of Washington).
The Seigneur's Office and the Library Tower
Library tower interior, circa 1920.© National Archives of Canada / PA-803728, 1920.
In 1856, at the venerable age of 70, Papineau finally materialized his bibliophile's
dream and began work building a square tower in which to house his impressive
library of several thousand volumes. Originally, the tower was three storeys
high and was linked to the manor house by a reading room. The tower basement
was used as an office where Louis-Joseph Papineau directed operations in his
seigneury and met with the censitaires.
The library provides clear illustration of the intellectual curiosity of Louis-Joseph
Papineau, an insatiable reader of all the major authors who have marked Western
civilization. In these surroundings, one can readily understand the origin
of the French Canadian expression "avoir la tête à Papineau" – meaning
to be brainy or intellectually gifted.