A Photo Journey To The Petch House In Aurora

Anna Lozyk Romeo — Tue, 03 May 2011 03:06:22 +0000

Just before the Easter weekend I had my first photo journey to the Petch house – yes, I was invited inside. It was very interesting and inspiring journey to be part of – to explore the 167 years old family house built in Aurora. I like the old log houses. There is so much character in them even though they look very simple – one might say. The condition the Petch house is now, is not the best. There is nothing fascinating about it if you just look. The house been renovated many times over 100 years so we may never really know the original look inside. However, if you look closely then you will find many interesting treasures to admire.

Petch House, Leslie Street, Town of Aurora

Someone said treasure? Yes, I was hoping to find a real treasure, but not this time. However, let me take you and show you some of the things that can be seen now in the Petch house. If the house gets a new place and new purpose for years to come, then it will have to be taken apart, mainly for safety reasons because the bottom support is in a bad condition, and structurally poses safety issues. According to the Friends of Petch House the house is not going to be a museum because it does not have a collection of artifacts, however, it is going to be used for community events and educational programs.

Interior Wood Log Walls of the Petch House With Contrasting Wall Paper

As you can see the house was built from the thick and long wood logs. You can see the same log on the outside and inside. The light wasn’t very good for taking pictures, but if you look closely you can see the rough chiseled marks. Not sure if chiseled is the right word to use, but one can definitely see that the uneven surface is definitely worked by hand. Aha, contrasting wall paper on the above picture. I thought it would be interesting to see the difference in wall decoration then and now. I am sure it all started with bare wood walls.

Interior Wood Log Walls of the Petch House

The same uneven surface is also seen on the top beam on the side wall, in the room that was probably a kitchen, to support the cross beams. However, the cross beams that run across the ceiling looked much more refined – little too perfect. But then, as the house will be examined further in the future by experienced crew, we will know more then about the beams.

Ceiling Support Beams, Petch House

The shown before contrasting wall paper is probably from 1980s, but then we found this (see below). It looked like painting, however, it was a definitely some sort of wall paper which we observed on the second floor. Well, that wall paper definitely is not ordinary wall paper, it has much more historic look and a feel. I was able to capture couple of nice undamaged areas. Again, probably from early 1900s, but this to be determined yet.

Wall Paper Sample Inside The Petch House

When I first time visited the Petch house by myself, I only saw the outside. I was kind of surprised to find modern features, one of them being electrical wiring, but then the house was always occupied, until recent few years. The original site of the Petch house was where the current Rona store is. The house itself has one main floor and the second floor. There was also a basement, but at this moment the house sits on the iron beams so there is nothing underneath. On the second journey, when we first time came inside, surprise, surprise, the entrance door on the side was swinging. We found broken lock. I guess we will never know the purpose of the break in.

Outside Log Structure Of The Petch House

The outside log is a photographer dream. There is so much abstract there. The old rusty nails add sense of security to the whole structure. However, the logs below are slowly deteriorating and shifting apart. Now the cycling weather condition is not helping at all. The inside is also exposed to weather conditions. Lets hope that some hidden treasure inside the house is well hidden and preserved, otherwise there will be none. To conclude, probably there is no treasure, but for Aurora the Petch House is a treasure by itself, and must be preserved.

Outside Log Structure Of The Petch House

I would like to extend special thank you to Katherine from the Friends of Petch House, who made the arrangement for my photo journey. If you want to learn more about Petch House, you can visit the Friends of Petch House web site or even better you can meet the volunteers in person at the Aurora Farmers Market on May 7th, 2011.

Petch House, My First Visit

Anna Lozyk Romeo — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 05:43:16 +0000

In couple of days I will explore the insides of the Petch House located on Leslie Street, Town of Aurora, and I will be allowed to take some pictures. Stayed tuned for an update and my experience of a life in early 1800s.Too bad that someone already lived there, and not everything is original, but still I am excited. My first visit was about a week ago. I walked around and too few nice pictures. The front has the Flying Club sign – it kind of sucks, because just did not belong there on my photo.

Petch House, Town of Aurora

Living in Aurora, Town of Aurora, Ontario » History

A Photo Journey To The Petch House In Aurora

Petch House, My First Visit