beaconsfield historic house

This relatively small museum was a delightful surprise on a recent visit. The house was tastefully decorated for Christmas in a Victorian style. Many old toys on display as well as greeting cards and decorations.

The tour was very thorough and personal.The tour guide was knowledgeable and friendly. Although the not all of the furnishings were original, they had done a great job of recreating the furnishings convincingly.

Picture perfect. Closed when we went, we enjoyed the gardens and grounds, view of the water from the porch, and just imagining what it must have been like "back when".

We visited this large home when on PEI and found it interesting. It has been well restored and each room has period furniture. If you are staying in Charlottetown, it is worth visiting, but I would not make a special trip to see it.

Great historic perspective from tour at this House. The young woman who provided the tour had quite a bit of knowledge and her presentation was excellent. The design, architecture, construction and furnishings (not original) all help to place Charlottetown in perspective for the time period.

Received a private tour around the house, which was great.Very interesting but I think that I have tired of visiting rich people's houses.

This house is well worth visiting: it shows a lot about life for wealthy people in the 19th century. The guide is very informative and the workmanship in the house is amazing but, unfortunately, almost all the furniture is not original to the house. The story of the people who developed the house is sad and unexpected. Take time to sit on the verandah enjoying the view over the gardens and the bay - it is well worth it.

The Beaconsfield House is one of Charlottetown's oldest building, making it a historic site. You can grab a 15 minute tour of the house while you're there. The house itself is pretty cool (especially when you think of yourself living there), but much of the house is closed to visitors and it's furnished mostly with non-original pieces.Entrance costs $5. Save a little money and go across the street to the Governor's House for a free tour of a more impressive building.

Really enjoyed this tour. The house has some of the most modern features of its time. The craftsmanship in houses like this always amazes me. The ownership of the house is an interesting story. After the tour we sat on the side porch & enjoyed the beautiful view of Charlottetown Harbor. We were visiting Charlottetown from a cruise ship & Beaconsfield was about a 20 minute walk from where the ship docked. We were just ambling along so it could be walked a lot faster.

We always enjoy an opportunity to step back into history and see how some folks lived. This home is absolutely stunning and our guide provided many interesting details about the home and the original owner. What was most amazing was the fact that architect was only 21years old. Worth seeing. Guided tour- 5 dollars per person.

I walked past the house on my morning run, and just had to see what was inside. The house itself is a fantastic victorian with furniture and fixtures of the period. The issue was the tourguide. She could have spun a great story of the rise and fall of the builder, but we had to pull facts from her. Big disappointment. We were in and out in 15 min, and it could have been an hour if the background and story was more....well....story-like. Get a little more into the explanations or it falls flat. As my son said when we left "wow, the tour guide really makes it or breaks it Mom"

This is an excellent house to walk through and see up close what it would be like to live there over 100 years ago. The tours are frequent so recommend go with a guide and learn some specific details about the people who have lived there. Take some time to sit on the porch facing the water.

We wanted to see a well preserved example of the Victorian architecture in Charlottetown and Beaconsfield is a prime example. As we were on a non cruise ship day in the shoulder season we had the place to ourselves. We had a great tour of the house including the kitchen area. We had the opportunity to go through the house with our guide to see all the interesting items collected and to hear the sad story of the Peakes who only lived in the house for 5 years after which their business failed and they lost their home. The staff were great. It is certainly worthwhile to see this house and the view from the veranda.

We wandered into this interesting old house, even though we weren't impressed with the yellow structure. Once inside it was quite elegant. Our guide gave us a little history of the Peake family, but she couldn't answer a lot of our questions and seemed very ill at ease with her job. I suppose she could have been new and was possibly still learning. None of the furniture is from the original owners because everything was sold when they went into bankruptcy many years ago. The house, however, is furnished with period pieces and replications of wallpaper and carpet from the era. We were told that the rickety white house that was being renovated across the street was originally on this location, but was moved. Our guide, however, had no idea why it was moved from the Beaconsfield Home location.

The Beaconsfield Home was built in 1877 for James and Edith Peake, Beaconsfield is one of Charlottetown’s most elegant homes. Featuring the finest in materials and craftsmanship, it was also equipped with all the latest conveniences of the day; like indoor plumbing and steam heat. The Peakes, unfortunately, were destined to enjoy Beaconsfield for a very short time - a time filled with much tragedy. James' father had made his fortune in the ship building industry (the tall sailing vessels) and because James himself did not diversify they lost it all and had to declare bankruptcy. They faced personal tragedy as well, losing a child or two shortly after child birth and two more later from diphtheria. Although the couple never divorced, they were estranged and lived on either side of the continent.It is a fine example of Victorian architecture and is filled with period pieces that make it exceptionally beautiful. Those furnishings had to be donated or purchased and placed by a great designer because all the original pieces of the Peake's were sold during bankruptcy.