FAMOUS PAINTING OF DELTA MILL ADORNS RUNCIMAN
OFFICE
TORONTO — A famous painting
of the Delta Mill is now the focal point of
the office of the Leader of the Official Opposition
at Queen’s Park thanks to the keen eye
of Leeds-Grenville MPP Bob Runciman.
One of his first acts as Leader of the Official
Opposition, Runciman rescued the beautiful painting
from a committee room and had it placed over
the fireplace in his new office.
The oil painting is the work of one of Canada’s
most famous artists Manly Edward MacDonald (1889-1971).
Runciman has been in the office only a couple
of weeks but he’s already had a number
of compliments about the painting.
“I’m really proud to have such
a beautiful painting of one of Canada’s
most famous historical landmarks from my riding
in my office,” said Runciman. “It
is a constant reminder of the success of the
hard-working members of the Delta Mill Society
who have spent more than 40 years restoring
the structure and turning it into an amazing
museum.”
The village of Delta is located between the
picturesque banks of Upper and Lower Beverly
Lake. The village is a rare example of domestic
architecture of the 1880-1910 period but the
mill itself was built several decades earlier.
In the 1790s Abel Stevens led groups of settlers
from Vermont to an isolated area in Upper Canada
that became Delta. He had a mill on the site
by 1798 but the present mill was built in 1810,
along with a nearby dam that resulted in the
formation of a large mill pond, now called Upper
Beverly Lake.
A statistical account of Upper Canada in 1817
describes the mill as “unquestionably
the best building of its kind in Upper Canada.”
Thanks to the efforts of the Delta Mill Society,
support from visitors, donations and funding
from both the Ontario and Canadian Governments
the mill has been restored to its 1810 condition,
including the installation of replica machinery.
Originally powered by a water wheel, it is
the only stone grist mill in Canada that has
been designated as a national historic site.
It is one of the oldest surviving automatic
grist mills in Ontario. The museum is packed
with exhibits and artefacts depicting the history
of the area.
The Delta Mill is one of seven paintings by
MacDonald in the Government of Ontario Art Collection,
while other works of the artist can be found
in many public and private collections including
the National Gallery and the Art Gallery of
Ontario.
MacDonald was born in Pointe Anne, Ontario
to Scottish parents. He received his early training
in the United States and upon his return to
Canada was elected a member of the Ontario Society
of Artists and an Associated Member of the Royal
Canadian Academy.
His favourite subject was the Ontario landscape
and he enjoyed painting outdoors even in the
winter.
“The colour and detail of this painting
is amazing,” said Runciman. He makes a
special point of directing the eyes of visitors
to his office to this painting and urges them
to find time to visit historic Leeds-Grenville
and the mill museum in Delta.
Media Contact:
Don Swayne
Executive Assistant
(613) 342-9522
(An e-mail photograph of the mill is available
upon request.)
