標題: two parlours 10 [打印本頁] 作者: udeclnsm 時間: 2016-4-6 04:58 標題: two parlours 10
Ghostly renovation
Standing in the library, Terrance Merx pats a skull he carved himself at age 15 out of red cedar. You might even spy one of their pet crows circling the entrance.
This couple never has to decorate for Halloween because their house is always in ghoulish readiness for the festivities, thanks to an extensive collection of reproduction skulls, skeletons, coffins, witching balls, wands, stuffed birds of prey and thousands of dusty old books full of spells and magic.
"Magic[k] is spelled with a silent K that stands for knowledge," states Merx, contradicting most dictionaries. The longtime student of the occult, who confides that one of his treasured possessions is a 1673 copy of Joseph Glanvill's famous book on witches. Merx and his wife Toledo have been renovating their late Victorian Italianate heritage home and carriage house for two decades, and recently won a Hallmark Society Award of Merit for their sterling efforts. He provides the creativity and manpower while she, who works in accounting, is financier and Girl Friday.
They adore old buildings, furniture and antiquities and have one of the most extensive skull collections in Canada primarily from Tibet. In their blood red dining room, hundreds are on display, marching around the room like a decapitated army. One large version holds napkins; another contains matches; a third is filled with nuts for the holidays while nearby is a 300 year old witching ball, to ward off evil spirits.
"I have a gothic nature," Merx admits flatly.
"Ever since I was a kid I wanted to live in an old haunted Supra Shoes Montreal house. This is as big and old and haunted as I could afford," said the retired Free Run 2 Canada commercial artist.
His talent was "discovered" in the early 1960s while he was sitting on the running board of his Model A Ford in San Francisco. Merx was drawing pictures of Allen Ginsberg, who was giving a poetry reading when a man leaned over and offered to buy his sketchbook. He also invited Merx back to his huge old Victorian house to meet his brother, who needed an artist for the Buick advertising department.
After returning to Victoria, he became a charter member of the Hallmark Society and he and his wife bought their house in 1982. "It was full of hippies who, let's say, had a very casual approach to the house." The previous owner lived back East and sublet the place, but planned to retire here. His wife took one look at the spooky digs and ran.
She may have seen a ghost because a young housemaid called Frances haunts the house.
"For some time after we moved in Frances kept pushing people down the tradesmen's staircase, and once when I was down in my wine cellar bending over to choose a bottle, I was hit on the back on the head. I woke up moments later on the floor."
Merx said he and some friends held a sance and, "she's pretty much exorcized now, though we do sense her sometimes. She was very unhappy, possibly a victim of foul deeds."
Too bad she's not around Nike Shox Nz Shoes to help with dusting or chores these days because Merx, 68, says it's a labour of love restoring the old building. "We have to custom make almost everything and I work at this up to Buy Nike Shox Cheap 18 hours a day, seven days a week. I just got a pacemaker."
The two storey home, built in 1890, was in ghastly condition even before they moved in with their skulls and skeletons.
"The carriage house was condemned, standing on sticks and ready to fall over in a high wind. It still had an old privy out back."
First, Nickel Bros. moved the carriage house slightly since it was hanging over into the neighbour's lot, and a new foundation was poured. The building was lowered onto it, then re roofed, insulated, fitted with 100amp service and put back together with all the details meticulously replicated.
Right: Dusty bottles, feathers, a crystal ball and more line a windowsill.
The main home was an equally hair raising challenge.
The back porch "lean to" was falling Cheap Longchamp Bags Canada off and a gabled roof above was about to collapse, so the two storeys were surgically removed. In the process, the original paint colours of sage green, black and burgundy were rediscovered and restored. Longchamp Outlet Locations Toronto There is now a new verandah on the main floor and expanded living area above. Both were given matching historic details with the help of carpenters Terry Estell and Peter Danniels.
The 2,300 square foot home, which has three bedrooms, six fireplaces and 3 1 ?2 bathrooms, was duplexed 60 years ago and Oakley Sunglasses Women they have left it that way.
"We have two of everything: Two stairways, two parlours, two kitchens "
They live upstairs and preserve downstairs much like a museum, mostly for entertaining.
"It's really daunting taking on something like this. One of the worst jobs was removing the old lino. We found 1934 newspapers under a layer of felt, under the ugliest, dismal lino you ever saw, and all that was under more lino tiles that were breaking up."
In one bedroom you can't even see the floor, as these owners are ber hoarders.
Some areas are so jammed it's nearly impossible to walk through. One bedroom contains two large altars one Tibetan, one Christian as well as salvaged bannisters from old houses, newel posts, a whole staircase, mantels and old fireplace surrounds.
A huge red tailed hawk hovers above a tall wardrobe in the master bedroom, and in the attic among other treasures is a large, long wicker basket: "It's the original body bag. They didn't bury people in these, but this is what they used to carry people out of a house in. Perhaps it'll be me one day!"
Their modus operandi is to take on a new project every year. Every Jan. 2, Merx sits at his drawing board and decides what to do. He draws up blueprints, makes working drawings, take them to city hall and lines up a contractor to help.
