hutchison house museum

I have visited this place several times usually with my granddaughter and love the tea and baked goodies there. A recall into the past settlement of the area.

On a snowy afternoon, we ventured into Peterborough to attend a pre booked lunch at the historic Hutchison House. We were ushered into the keeping room by staff in period costume and seated at a table close to the open hearth. Warmed by the fire, we were served pork stew with mashed potatoes, molasses oat bread, tea, coffee and bread pudding for dessert! Home made on site, the meal was plentiful and tasty. The staff were helpful, courteous and very knowledgable; it was plain to see that they enjoy their work, each other and serving guests. After lunch, we took a tour of the house by one gentle man who had served there for a number of years; he kindly answered our numerous questions and he proved to be a wealth of information about not only Dr. Hutchison but also, Sir Sanford Fleming. If you like old houses, early Ontario history and a good meal then, be sure to experience what Hutchison House has to offer.

Our group booked the tour and tea/scones in the old kitchen. The tour was very interesting and the scones delicious! The guides, dressed in period costumes, are very knowledgeable and friendly. They truly made the experience and transported the guests to another time in history!

Attended for the New Years celebration and the previous summer for Tea on the Terrace. Both were fabulous.

We had tea with scones and jam made by children there for the summer right in the house They were super. Then we had a tour with an excellent, most knowledgeable gentleman. The grounds were fun to wander and see the flowers.

The volunteers do such a wonderful job of recreating the past and sharing such interesting bits of information. The history of this house is fascinating and so important to Peterborough's past and how we got to where we are today.

I visited here with a group of people from a cooking program that I was in. It was really, really awesome! Stepping into that house is like stepping back in time. Beautiful place. It was really neat to make butter, make a vegetable soup and bake a cake over a fire. I had a great time! And seeing the museum was really interesting, lots of neat history to learn there. Everyone could enjoy it regardless of age :)

Interesting history, atmosphere and staff. Add the delicious menu and you have a winner! Booklets available to purchase add to the experience and lovely gardens in summer.

The tour of the house is very interesting and a great look at the past. The volunteers do a great job of serving tea and fresh scones with assorted jams.A definite do it a least once outing/experience .

The Hutchison House provides a little history of Peterborough and life back in the day. For $7 per person, you will get a 30 min tour of the home where you can see how people lived, worked, etc. After the tour, you can have Afternoon Tea served with scones, various perserves, etc. served by young girls dressed in lovely dresses. Overall, this was a nice way to spend an afternoon learning about history and having a good cup of tea in the garden.

Excellent historic house with a terrific tour guide. The Scottish Tea with Scones and jam was also excellent. Also, a good selection of local history books for sale.

a great place to visit when in town to see part of the wonderful history of Peterborough - Dr. Hutchison's house is chock full of tid bits to help transport you back in time - and be glad you are living in this time period now !

Toured the former home of Dr Hutchison and learned much about life in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada in the 1800's. Experienced volunteer Guides take you through the home and a Scottish tea is served on the patio afterwards by young girls dressed in costumes of the period. We thought it was really wonderful!

This trip back in time reveals that this house due to volunteer labour cost 45.18s9d or roughly $224 to build using stone from Jackson Park Quarry. While Dr. Hutchinson(Irish spelling) Hutchison(Scots spelling) was alive until 1847 a cousin of Dr. Hutchison who was Sandford Fleming came to stay with him from Scotland from 1845-1847. This is the Sir Sandford Fleming who pushed for the international time zones which we know follow, designed Canada's first postage stamp, connected Canada coast to coast with the railway and created an inaccurate map of Peterborough by laying out the streets of Peterborough and when in Toronto lithographing the map placing the buildings on by memory, some of which were not in the right place. Dr. Hutchison was so dedicated to every citizen that eventually he died of a disease from a patient as prevention was limited back then. It is rumoured that his relative Florence Nightengale was influenced to create beter medical cautions due to his death. The house takes you back in time very well as long as you stay inside or the backyard. The kitchen in the basement would have taken the dampness out of the air and there is a room with a map of Sir Sandford Fleming's in it making it a very worth while visit but watch the stairs to the upper floor.

Dr. John Hutchison, being their first doctor to arrive in Peterborough, the people were so grateful of having their first doctor that they donated their labor to build this two story house in 1836-37. A guided tour is provided by the Peterborough Historical Society. There was no running water, nor electricity then. He was a doctor, pharmacist, performed tooth extractions. His compensation sometimes came in the form of goods and services as the people didn't always have the means to pay for his services in cash. He believed that some illnesses could be treated by draining the blood, causing some patients to faint and die.The best part I really like is their afternoon tea service from 1-4 pm. The choice of hot tea, iced tea, or lemonade, butter or whipped cream for your scone, the oatcakes, variety of tasty jams, are first rate. They also sell the jams. Lunch service is available for CAD 24. Admission is CAD 7. Tours: June-September Tues-Sun 1pm-4pm, October-May Tue-Fri 9am-5pm