One of Chatham-Kent’s most well-known historic homes is under new ownership.
Newlyweds Steven and Connie Mannering, formerly of St Thomas and Sarnia, respectively, recently bought “Avenel” on William Street in Chatham, also known as the Gray Dort home.
The Mannerings were married, sold their two homes, and bought the William Street property all within a week.
Avenel is a property significant to this community because it is a representative example of a Queen Anne style of architecture and because of its association with the Gray family. Preserving and protecting Avenel through designation is a responsibility that new homeowners, Connie and Steven Mannering, have embraced.
Some of the outstanding features of this property include an elaborate central entrance veranda, varied rooflines and a façade dominated by a central tower with dormer windows and finials. This tower has been described as French chateau-inspired and has a Mansard roof. Facing Charteris Street, a semi-circular drive approaches the house to a hipped-roof carriage-way, constructed of rusticated limestone supports. Typical necessities of the era include iron rings for tying horses and a steep step to facilitate movement in and out of a carriage.
Mayor Darrin Canniff and members of the Municipal Heritage Committee presented the Mannerings with a welcome basket during a reception over the weekend.
