Monday, January 20, 2014

Site of LMM Cavendish Home

Cavendish on Prince Edward Island, where Lucy Maud Montgomery lived since she was 21 months old, was the inspiration for Avonlea. The author herself never lived on the farm known currently as Green Gables though. She lived nearby - in a house her maternal grandparents, Alexander and Lucy Macneill, owned. It became her home after her mother Clara Macneill Montgomery had died of tuberculosis in 1876 and she called it home until 1911 when she married the Reverend Ewan Macdonald. Montgomery's Cavendish home was where she wrote Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea.  The house does not exist anymore but Montgomery's fans can visit the grounds, walk the paths she walked (including the shortcut she used to go to church) and admire the old trees Maud was so fond of. Somewhat hidden behind the Cavendish Post Office (which is an interesting place to visit for a couple of reasons as well) the Site of LM Montgomery Cavendish home is a must see for all Montgomery's fans. It is still owned by Montgomery's relatives - John Macneill, a great grandson of Alexander, and his wife Jennie who decided to make this site so special after reading her journals and realizing how important this home was to her.

There is a bookstore/museum on the premises where visitors can get a historical account of Montgomery's life on Prince Edward Island as well as see some artifacts associated with the author. Although the site of Montgomery's Cavendish Home is very close to Green Gables, it is not nearly as much visited as the famous farmhouse, so it usually offers a very intimate experience.


The bookstore/museum









Grandparents Macneill


Jennie Macneill's daughter is talking about the photo Maud took of the fields:


And the same view today:


Replica of the old house:


Grounds























The garden






2 comments:

  1. Wonderful photos thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
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