Harrington Lake estate is the name of the official country retreat of the Prime Minister of Canada and also the name of the land which surrounds it. It is located near Meech Lake – where the Meech Lake Accord was negotiated in 1987 – approximately 35 kilometers northwest of Ottawa, in an area known as Gatineau Park, amidst the Gatineau Hills in Quebec. The estate is not open to the public, but the Mackenzie King Estate, the retreat of Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King at Kingsmere, is a tourist attraction a few kilometers further south in the park.
| Harrington Lake | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival style |
| Town or city | Gatineau, Quebec |
| Country | Canada |
| Coordinates | 45°34′N 75°57′W / 45.567°N 75.95°W / 45.567; -75.95Coordinates: 45°34′N 75°57′W / 45.567°N 75.95°W / 45.567; -75.95 |
| Construction started | 1925 |
| Technical details | |
| Size | 16 room home on 5.4-hectare (13-acre) property |
| Design and construction | |
| Client | Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Macpherson Edwards |
| Owner | The Queen in Right of Canada |
| Landlord | National Capital Commission |
| Architect | Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Macpherson Edwards |
Beside the cottage, the Harrington estate consists of three other buildings:
- staff cottage
- upper guest cottage
- lower guest cottage
- boat house and paddleboat dock
- long dock (located the northeast of the retreat)
The lake itself and the area around it are also referred to as Lac Mousseau. The name Harrington is thought to be a misspelling of Hetherington, the name of a family which settled in this area. The French name Mousseau comes from another early settler to the area, Louis Mousseau.
The retreat to accessed by Chemin de Lac Meech with armed (by the RCMP) gatehouse at driveway to the retreat.
Famous quotes containing the words harrington and/or lake:
“That the poor are invisible is one of the most important things about them. They are not simply neglected and forgotten as in the old rhetoric of reform; what is much worse, they are not seen.”
—Michael Harrington (1928–1989)
“Such were the first rude beginnings of a town. They spoke of the practicability of a winter road to the Moosehead Carry, which would not cost much, and would connect them with steam and staging and all the busy world. I almost doubted if the lake would be there,—the self-same lake,—preserve its form and identity, when the shores should be cleared and settled; as if these lakes and streams which explorers report never awaited the advent of the citizen.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)