Daily Archives: May 1, 2007

May 1 2007

A Little Dearlove History

Back in the 1800′s, a man named Mark Dearlove had a shop in Leeds where he made high-quality musical instruments. Every now and then I get an e-mail or phone call from someone who has purchased a Dearlove violin or cello and wants to know if I know anything about the instrument’s history.

 

Apparently his whole family was musical, with many of his sons, daughters, and grandchildren involved in music. At one point, there was an entire band in Harrogate comprised solely of Dearloves.

 

The picture above was taken in 1958 inside the Abbey House Museum in Leeds, where they had faithfully re-created Mark Dearlove’s instrument shop. The good-looking folks in the picture are all Dearloves and were there to play a recital. FYI, the second gentleman from the left in the back row is Kenneth Dearlove.
May 1 2007

Housing Update

Newsflash: 89 year old homes are very different from new homes. Back in 1918, they didn’t build master suites, they built tiny bedrooms. They didn’t give every person in the house their own bathroom – you had to make do with one for the whole family. Can you imagine? One bathroom for four people. How could they survive under such harsh conditions?

Seriously, the house was fine. The main floor was very nice, and the top-floor family room had potential. B and I both agreed, though, that it wasn’t the house for us, so the dream of living in Old Ottawa South has been put on hold for a while.

However, the house was perfect for a family of five from Montreal. Apparently they wouldn’t leave the house on Sunday until they were allowed to make an offer, and the sellers accepted it that night.

Total days on the market: 4. Never underestimate the power of location.