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Ravenscrag
Ravenscrag from Pine Avenue, 1901
Map
General information
TypeMansion
Architectural styleItalianate Style
LocationGolden Square Mile
Address1025 Pine Avenue West
Montreal, Quebec
Coordinates45°30′21″N 73°34′56″W / 45.5059°N 73.5821°W / 45.5059; -73.5821
Current tenantsMcGill University Health Centre (MUHC)
Construction started1860
Completed1863
DestroyedInterior, 1943
ClientSir Hugh Allan
OwnerSociété québécoise des infrastructures (since 2023)
HeightTower of 75 feet
Dimensions
Other dimensionsFrontage of 300 feet
Technical details
Floor count5 floors, 34 rooms (excluding Servants' Quarters and outbuildings)
Floor area4,968 m2
Design and construction
Architect(s)Victor Roy (Wm. Spier & Son)
Main contractorWilliam Spier & Son (Superintendant)
George Roberts (Carpenter & Joiner)
Daniel Wilson & Co. (Masonery)
Alex Wand & Henry Jackson (Brick-laying)
John McFarlane (Plumber)

Ravenscrag (also known as Hugh Allan House and Hugh Montagu Allan House) is a historic mansion located in the Golden Square Mile in Montreal (Quebec), Canada.

Built mainly between 1861 and 1863, this house was the residence of Sir Hugh Allan from 1863 to 1882 and to his son Sir Hugh Montagu Allan from 1882 to 1940. In 1940, the Allan family donated the house to the Royal Victoria Hospital. Since 1943, the building has housed the Allan Memorial Institute, which houses the hospital's psychiatry department, and since 1997, the psychiatry department of McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). Following the move of the Royal Victoria Hospital in 2015, the future of Ravenscrag is uncertain. In 2023, the MUHC transferred the property to the Société québécoise des infrastructures (SQI) in order to realize McGill University's new pavillion project called "Royal Victoria". The MUHC remains tenant until 2028.

This residence was designed by architect Victor Roy of the firm William Spier & Son in the Italianate style, following the trends of Victorian architecture. Around 1865, architect John William Hopkins of the firm Hopkins & Wily superintended the construction of the reception rooms annexed to the house and of the greenhouse, following the plans of architect Victor Roy. After the construction of the reception rooms around 1865, the house had 34 rooms, excluding the servants' quarters and outbuildings. Often qualified as ″the most sumptuous Montreal residence of the 19th century″, the interior was decorated by the Italian painter Giuseppe Guidicini, the team of the Canadian painter John McArthur, the team of the carpenter and joiner George Roberts and the interior decoration company J. & W. Hilton of Montreal.

Hugh Allan baptized his residence "Ravenscrag" following its construction in the 1860s. This residence is part of the former Hugh Allan estate which also includes stables, a Gate house and a park. This estate was recognized by the City of Montreal in 1987 and by the Government of Quebec in 2005 as an integral part of the "Site patrimonial du Mont-Royal" (Mount Royal Heritage Site). It was also declared to be integrated into the "Secteur de valeur patrimoniale exceptionnelle Hôpital Royal Victoria" (Royal Victoria Hospital Historic District) by the City in 2004.

Site

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Ravenscrag is located at 835-1025 Pine Avenue West in the Golden Square Mile district of the Ville-Marie borough in the city of Montreal. It is located approximately 3.5 km from Old Montreal. More precisely, the house is located on the southeast slope of Mount Royal and is located at the top of McTavish Street. It can be accessed from the main gate on Pine Avenue West or from the entrance near Peel Street further west.

History

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Before 1861 : land purchase and conception

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McTavish House (circa 1850)

The land on which Ravenscrag is built was previously part of the estate of Simon McTavish, a wealthy fur trader, which once stretched from the top of the mountain in the north to Saint Catherine Street in the south, and from the property of James McGill in the east to beyond Drummond Street in the west. In 1803, Simon McTavish decided to build a "chateau" on his estate, intentded to honour his wife, Marie-Marguerite Chaboillez. However, in 1804, he died during construction and construction stopped. The half-completed house was then left abandoned until its demolition in 1860. In the meantime, the McTavish estate underwent several subdivisions by land investors such as John Torrance, Hugh Taylor and John Hutchison. Some of these lots were sold on 23 November 1853 at an auction organised by auctioneer John Leeming. On this occasion, Hugh Allan purchased from David Torrance for the sum of £2,250 a 10 acres (40,000 m2) lot of land located on the south-east slope of Mount Royal, above McTavish house and bordering the McTavish burial site to the east. However, there is no information to determine Hugh Allan's intention regarding the use he intended for this lot of land when he purchased it. He was himself a land investor: during his life, he purchased several lots of land in the St. Antoine ward in Montreal on which he had houses or apartment buildings built for rental. However, the construction of buildings intended for rental (row houses or apartment buildings) was at this time rather rare in the northeast of Sherbrooke Street, between McGill University and Guy Street. Due to their privileged location on the mountain, these lands tended to be used as estates on which residences were built in the style of an English country house, following the British trend in architecture for wealthy families. For example, the houses of John Redpath, named "Terrace Bank" (1861), Orrin S. Wood, known as "Braehead" (1861), Andrew Allan, known as "Iononteh" (1865), and David Lewis (1868) were built during the 1860s.

On 13 October 1860, Hugh Allan and his wife, Matilda Caroline Smith, had their fourth child and third son, Hugh Montagu Allan. It was at this time that Hugh Allan decided to build a new residence that reflected his wealth and power. He decided to build a new home on his land located on the southeast slope of Mount Royal, away from the noise, bustle and prying eyes of the city, thus benefiting from more space, comfort and privacy. The chosen location of the estate also had the advantage of being neither too close to the city nor too far away, allowing him to access it quickly.

Around 1860, he hired the architectural firm William Spier & Son to design and build his future mansion. Victor Roy, an architect from that firm, was responsible for drawing up the plans. He designed the house as a villa or as an English country house in the Italianate style. He followed the architectural trend of the time, which was inspired by the British royal summer residence of Osborne House, built between 1845 and 1851 by Prince Albert on the Isle of Wight. Several houses in England, in the British colonies and in North America, built up until the 1870s, were modeled upon this royal residence. Even in Montreal, several mansions were built in the Italianate style during the 1850s and 1860s, including the Harrison Stephens house (1857), the Joseph Mackay house (1858) and the David R. Wood house (1859). However, there is no information indicating why this style was chosen for Ravenscrag, or whether it was a preference of the architect or the client. On the other hand, the construction of Henry Lyman's residence on McTavish Street in 1859 according to the plans of the architect Richard C. Windeyer may have played a determining role in the choice of the architectural style of Ravenscrag. Indeed, this "villa" has the same architectural style as Ravenscrag. However, this house was demolished in 1941 to make way for a 24-unit appartement building.

Construction

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Ravenscrag and its conservatory seen from the west, 1906
The east wing of Ravenscrag, 1903

In 1853, Allan purchased ten acres on the slopes of Mount Royal for £2,250, from the estate of the late Simon McTavish. The property was then considered to be in the countryside and was outside the confines of downtown Montreal. In 1860, he commissioned the firm William Spier & Son to design and build a mansion on the land. Victor Roy, one of the architects of that firm, was the main designer of the house. Around 1865, architect John William Hopkins of the firm Hopkins & Wily superintended the construction of the reception rooms annexed to the house and of the greenhouse, following the plans of architect Victor Roy.

Victor Roy designed Allan's residence in the style of an Italian Renaissance villa or palazzo, made popular in England since the construction of Osborne House for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1851. Allan named his new residence after one of his favourite childhood haunts, the ruins of Ravenscraig Castle in East Ayrshire.[1]

As Allan intended, from the outside Ravenscrag was both imposing and intimidating.[2] It had a 300-foot frontage and a gate lodge at the end of the drive that now filters out onto Pine Avenue. The view from the house looked over Old Montreal, across the Saint Lawrence River and over to the Green Mountains of Vermont. From the 75-foot tower rising over the house, Allan could occasionally be glimpsed with a brass telescope in hand scanning Longue-Pointe for the safe arrival of the weekly Allan Line Steamer arriving from Glasgow.[3]

Interior

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The drawing room at Ravenscrag, 1911
The reception hall at the end of the entrance hall, 1902

On its completion, Ravenscrag consisted of 72 rooms and covered a vast 4,968 m2 (53,475 sqft) over five floors, including the basement and attic.[4] The reception rooms were built of a size and style compatible for society gatherings and to receive royalty, the first instance of which occurred in 1869 when the Allans entertained the young Prince Arthur during his year in Montreal with the Rifle Brigade.[5]

The interior of the house was a typically eclectic example of Victorian style. Bright colours were used, such as the green silk-woven lining on the dining room walls. There were also hand-painted frescos and murals illustrated with mythological or quotidian scenes, and decorative elements were embellished with gilding.[6]

The dining room was in a sedate Georgian-Italian Renaissance style, measuring 60 feet in length and 46 feet across.[7] The Grand Ballroom, with its wrought-iron minstrels' gallery, was in the style of the French Second Empire and is said to have been particularly impressive in both size and decoration.[8] In 1872, the first ball was held at Ravenscrag in honour of the new Governor General of Canada, Lord Dufferin, when the Allans invited 400 guests.[9]

Allan's favourite room was his library on the ground floor, where he whiled away the hours working, relaxing or playing with his children. The room was typically Victorian and dominated by a wall-to-wall mahogany bookcase, decorated with carved panels depicting sea monsters and mermaids. The piece is one of the very few decorative elements to have survived as it was in Allan's day.[10]

The basement included two wine cellars, an ice house and a workshop. The main rooms on the ground floor included the entrance hall, a reception room, a drawing room, a breakfast room, a dining room, a billiard room, a library, two ante-rooms off the Grand Ballroom and a greenhouse containing a vineyard and fruit trees. The east wing on the ground floor included a pantry, pastry room, summer larder, scullery, dairy, servants hall, butler's room, housekeeper's room and bedrooms for nineteen servants.[11]

The first floor included four main bedrooms, two water closets, two bathrooms, a sitting room, a dressing room and the children's dining room. The second floor included eight bedrooms for the children and one large bathroom. The attic included an observatory. As might have been expected for a house of its kind in Montreal, Ravenscrag was fitted with gas lighting and the most advanced plumbing and heating technology available at the time.[12]

East wing and stables

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Allan died the wealthiest man in Canada in 1882, and Ravenscrag was inherited by his second son, H. Montagu Allan. In 1889, he employed Andrew Taylor to extend the east wing, and he almost doubled the number of servants his father had kept in the house to nineteen. Taylor also enlarged the stables for Sir Montagu in 1898.[13] In 1940, the couple donated Ravenscrag to the Royal Victoria Hospital for use as a medical facility.[14] Its famously lavish interior was entirely gutted and replaced.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Biography of Sir Hugh Allan, Clydesite Magazine, Scotland]
  2. ^ Archives of the City of Montreal on the Allan Memorial Institute (Royal Victoria Hospital), 2012
  3. ^ The Square Mile - Merchant Princes of Montreal (1987); Donald MacKay
  4. ^ Robert Bianchini:Ravenscrag, Montréal; McGill University School of Architecture, 1985
  5. ^ The Canadian Portrait Gallery, Volume 2: John Charles Dent, 1880
  6. ^ François Rémillard: Mansions of the Golden Square Mile, Montreal 1850-1930 - Hugh Allan House. Meridian Press, 1986. Page 55
  7. ^ Ravenscrag - Canadian Illustrated News, 1872
  8. ^ François Rémillard: Mansions of the Golden Square Mile, Montreal 1850-1930 - Hugh Allan House. Meridian Press, 1986. Page 55
  9. ^ François Rémillard: Mansions of the Golden Square Mile, Montreal 1850-1930 - Hugh Allan House. Meridian Press, 1986. Page 55
  10. ^ François Rémillard: Mansions of the Golden Square Mile, Montreal 1850-1930 - Hugh Allan House. Meridian Press, 1986. Page 55
  11. ^ Julia Gersovitz, Ravenscrag, Montréal, McGill University, School of Architecture, 1975
  12. ^ Julia Gersovitz, Ravenscrag, Montréal, McGill University, School of Architecture, 1975
  13. ^ http://www.dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org/architects/view/1349 Biographic Dictionary of Architects in Canada 1800-1950 Andrew Taylor (Architect)
  14. ^ Deed of Conveyance (Gift inter vivos), no 488283, 1940-11-19, Me Herbert Bayne McLean (Notary), Registre foncier du Québec en ligne, Ministère des Ressources Naturelles et Faune (consulted october 9, 2013)

Sources

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Books / Works

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List of books in chronological order of publication :

  • W. S. Mackay, Robert, ed. (1859–1870). The Montreal Directory. Montreal, Quebec: John Lovell. Lovell.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
  • Girouard, Mark (1971). The Victorian Country House. Oxford: Carlenton Press. Girouard.
  • Gersovitz, Julia (1975). Ravenscrag. Montreal, Quebec: McGill University, School of Architecture. Gersovitz.
  • Dictionary of Canadian Biography (1881-1890). Toronto, Ontario: University of Toronto Press. 1976.
  • Lemire, Robert (1979). Inventaire des bâtiments du Vieux-Montréal et des quartiers Saint-Georges et Saint-André (in French). Montreal, Quebec: Parcs Canada. Lemire.
  • du Prey, James; Ellen (1983). Lambert, Phyllis (ed.). Huit villas sur le Mont-Royal (in French). Montreal, Quebec: Centre canadien d'architecture. Lambert.
  • Bianchini, Robert (1985). Ravenscrag. Montreal, Quebec: McGill University, School of Architecture. Bianchini.
  • Rémillard, François (1986). Demeures bourgeoises de Montréal : le Mille carré, 1850-1930 : Maison Hugh-Allan (in French). Montreal, Quebec: Édition du Méridien. pp. 55–57. ISBN 2-920417-08-8. Rémillard-1986.
  • Communauté Urbaine de Montréal (1987). Répertoire d'architecture traditionnelle sur le territoire de la Communauté Urbaine de Montréal : Les résidences (in French). Vol. 1. Montreal, Quebec: Service de la planification du territoire (CUM). ISBN 2-920295-56-X. CUM.
  • Pinard, Guy (1987). Montréal, son histoire, son architecture : Ravenscrag (in French). Vol. 2. Montreal, Quebec: Éditions La presse. ISBN 2-89043-255-6. Pinard.
  • Gauthier, Raymonde (1987). L’Architecture de Montréal : Maison Hugh-Allan, dite Ravenscrag (in French). Montreal, Quebec: Libre Expression : Ordre des architectes du Québec. p. 84. ISBN 2-89111-426-4.
  • Porter, John R., ed. (1993). Un art de vivre : le meuble de goût à l'époque victorienne au Québec : Ravenscrag, la plus somptueuse résidence montréalaise de l'époque victorienne (in French). Montreal, Quebec: Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal; Musée de la civilisation de Québec. ISBN 2-89192-160-7. JRP.
  • Sourkes, Theodore Lionel (1995). Building on a Proud Past : 50 Years of Psychiatry at McGill. Montreal, Quebec: Dept. of psychiatry, McGill University. ISBN 2-9800963-4-2. Sourkes.
  • Blondel-Loisel, Annie (2009). La compagnie maritime Allan : de l'Écosse au Canada au XIXe siècle (in French). Montreal, Quebec: Harmattan. ISBN 978-2-296-10029-9.
  • Rémillard, François (2016). Belles demeures historiques de l'île de Montréal : Ravenscrag (in French). Montreal, Quebec: Harmattan. p. 195. ISBN 978-2-7619-4428-1. Rémillard-2016.
  • Palmer Schwind, Arlene (2024). (COMING UP). Portland (Maine): (COMING UP). p. (COMING UP). ISBN 0-00000-000-0. APS.

Notarial Acts

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List of notorial acts in chronological order of publication :

  • Smith, James (Notary) (August 10, 1853). Notorial Act en minute, min. no. 821 : "Hugh Allan, Esquire, to Alexander Rae : Deed of Sale". Notaries Records, Judicial District of Montreal: Superior Court Funds, National Archives of Quebec (microfilm M-620.1496). AN-821.
  • Smith, James (Notary) (October 29, 1860). Notorial Act en minute, min. no. 7081 : "Deed of Sale : William Spier & James Spier to Hugh Allan, Esquire". Notaries Records, Judicial District of Montreal: Superior Court Funds, National Archives of Quebec (microfilm M-620.1505). AN-7081.
  • Smith, James (Notary) (May 27, 1861). Notorial Act en minute, min. no. 7929 : "Contract and agreement between Messrs. Wilson Company and Hugh Allan, Esquire". Notaries Records, Judicial District of Montreal: Superior Court Funds, National Archives of Quebec (microfilm M-620.1506). AN-7929.
  • Smith, James (Notary) (May 27, 1861). Notorial Act en minute, min. no. 7932 : "Contract and agreement between Messrs. Wand and Jackson and Hugh Allan, Esquire". Notaries Records, Judicial District of Montreal: Superior Court Funds, National Archives of Quebec (microfilm M-620.1506). AN-7932.
  • Smith, James (Notary) (July 30, 1861). Notorial Act en minute, min. no. 8136 : "Contract and agreement between Mr. George Roberts and Hugh Allan, Esquire". Notaries Records, Judicial District of Montreal: Superior Court Funds, National Archives of Quebec (microfilm M-620.1506). AN-8136.
  • Smith, James (Notary) (March 26, 1863). Notorial Act en minute, min. no. 10281 : "Allan, Hugh to Andrew Allan : Lease". Notaries Records, Judicial District of Montreal: Superior Court Funds, National Archives of Quebec (microfilm M-620.1506). AN-10281.

Administrative Publications

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Newspaper Articles

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  • "The sale of the "McTavish Lot"". Montreal Herald and Daily Commercial Gazette (Newspaper). Vol. 45, no. 225 (Robert Weir ed.). Montreal. November 24, 1853. p. 2.
  • "Personnal : Villa Residence of Henry Lyman". Montreal Herald and Daily Commercial Gazette (Newspaper). Vol. 51, no. 266 (Robert Weir ed.). Montreal. November 8, 1859. p. 2.
  • "The Lost of the "Hungarian"". Montreal Herald and Daily Commercial Gazette (Newspaper). Vol. 52, no. 70 (Robert Weir ed.). Montreal. March 22, 1860. p. 2.
  • "How a Prince Should be Entertained : the interior of the building". Montreal Herald and Daily Commercial Gazette (Newspaper). Vol. 52, no. 191 (Robert Weir ed.). Montreal. August 10, 1860. p. 2.
  • "Fowler et Roy, Architectes : successeurs de W. Speir et Fils". L'Ordre : union catholique (Newspaper) (in French). Vol. 3, no. 112 (Plinguet & Laplante ed.). Montreal. August 28, 1861. p. 2.
  • "List of buildings erected during the year 1861. Under the Superintendance of Wm. Speir & Son, architects : McTavish Street". Montreal Herald and Daily Commercial Gazette (Newspaper). Vol. 54, no. 47 (Robert Weir ed.). Montreal. February 24, 1862. p. 7.
  • "Faits divers". L'Ordre : union catholique (Newspaper) (in French). Vol. 4, no. 118 (Plinguet & Laplante ed.). Montreal. September 12, 1862. p. 2.
  • "Prince of Wale's Wedding : Celebration in Montreal. Illuminations". Montreal Herald and Daily Commercial Gazette (Newspaper). Vol. 55, no. 59 (Robert Weir ed.). Montreal. March 11, 1863. p. 2.
  • "The Exhibition : Industrial Department". Montreal Herald and Daily Commercial Gazette (Newspaper). Vol. 15, no. 221 (Robert Weir ed.). Montreal. September 16, 1863. p. 2.
  • "The Exhibition : Industrial Department (omission)". Montreal Herald and Daily Commercial Gazette (Newspaper). Vol. 57, no. 233 (Robert Weir ed.). Montreal. September 30, 1865. p. 1.
  • "Progress of Montreal. New Public and Prive Buildings : Upper Peel Street". Montreal Herald and Daily Commercial Gazette (Newspaper). Vol. 57, no. 301 (Robert Weir ed.). Montreal. December 19, 1865. p. 1.
  • "Midnight Dispatches. New Dry Goods Store". Montreal Herald and Daily Commercial Gazette (Newspaper). Vol. 58, no. 78 (Robert Weir ed.). Montreal. April 2, 1866. p. 2.
  • "Gasaliers : R. Sharpley offers a sale on large stock of the Finest Cut Glass Gasaliers". Montreal Herald and Daily Commercial Gazette (Newspaper). Vol. 58, no. 269 (Robert Weir ed.). Montreal. November 10, 1866. p. 2.
  • "Progress of Montreal (Illustrated Edition) : Merchants' Bank". Montreal Herald and Daily Commercial Gazette (Newspaper). Vol. 59, no. (Double Sheet) (Robert Weir ed.). Montreal. March 1, 1867. p. 6.
  • "Faits divers : Manufacture de meubles de MM. Hilton". Le Pays (Newspaper) (in French). Vol. 16, no. 35. Montreal. April 6, 1867. p. 2.
  • "Faits divers : Fabrique de M. Hilton". Le Pays (Newspaper) (in French). Vol. 39, no. 175. Montreal. April 6, 1867. p. 2.
  • "Special Notices : Wedding". The Daily Witness (Newspaper). Vol. 8, no. 122 (John Dougall ed.). Montreal. May 23, 1867. p. 3.
  • "Heating by Hot Water and Steam (Ad)". Montreal Herald and Daily Commercial Gazette (Newspaper). Vol. 59, no. 245 (Robert Weir ed.). Montreal. October 14, 1867. p. 2.
  • "J. & W. Hilton (Ad) : Fabricants de meubles et décorateurs". La Minerve (Newspaper) (in French). Vol. 42, no. 68 (Augustin-Norbert Morin ed.). Montreal. November 27, 1869. p. 3.
  • "Nouvelles locales : Beau monde". L'événement (Newspaper) (in French). Vol. 3, no. 166. Montreal. December 2, 1869. p. 2.
  • "Sir Hugh Allan of Ravenscrag". The Globe (Newspaper). Vol. 10, no. 185 (The Globe and Mail ed.). August 2, 1871. p. 2.
  • "City Items : Sir Hugh Allan of Ravenscrag". The Daily Witness (Newspaper). Vol. 10, no. 185 (John Dougall ed.). Montreal. August 8, 1871. p. 3.
  • "Latest from Montreal : Competition for the best cultivated gardens". Morning Chronicle and Commercial and Shipping Gazette (Newspaper) (Charles St. Michel ed.). Montreal. August 22, 1871. p. 2.
  • "City Items : Guests at Ravenscrag". The Daily Witness (Newspaper). Vol. 11, no. 147 (John Dougall ed.). Montreal. June 20, 1872. p. 3.
  • "Local News : Agricultural and Horticultural Society's Show". Morning Chronicle and Commercial and Shipping Gazette (Newspaper). Vol. 26, no. 150 (Charles St. Michel ed.). Montreal. September 13, 1872. p. 2.
  • "Nouvelles générales". Le Journal de Québec (Newspaper) (in French). Vol. 8, no. 117. Montreal. September 20, 1872. p. 2.
  • "Faits divers : Bal à Montréal". L'évènement (Newspaper) (in French). Vol. 6, no. 150. Montreal. November 12, 1872. p. 2.
  • "Nouvelles locales : Lord Dufferin". La Minerve (Newspaper) (in French). Vol. 45, no. 150 (Augustin-Norbert Morin ed.). Montreal. November 20, 1872. p. 2.
  • "Ravenscrag". Montreal Weekly Witness Commercial Review and Family News Paper (Newspaper). Vol. 27, no. 61. Montreal. November 21, 1872. p. 1.
  • "Ravenscrag". Canadian Illustrated News (Newspaper). Vol. 6, no. 22. Montreal. November 30, 1872. p. 339.
  • "Ravenscrag". Canadian Illustrated News (Newspaper). Vol. 6, no. 23. Montreal. December 7, 1872. p. 355.
  • "Ravenscrag". L’Opinion Publique (Newspaper) (in French). Vol. 3, no. 50. Montreal. December 12, 1872. p. 592, 594.
  • "Latest from Montreal : Marble Bust of Sir Hugh Allan". Morning Chronicle and Commercial and Shipping Gazette (Newspaper). Vol. 27, no. 10302 (Charles St. Michel ed.). Montreal. March 12, 1873. p. 2.
  • "Editorial Notes : Sir Hugh Allan presented to the Queen". The Daily Witness (Newspaper). Vol. 12, no. 126 (John Dougall ed.). Montreal. May 27, 1873. p. 2.
  • "Télégraphie générale : Mariage fashionable". L'événement (Newspaper) (in French). Vol. 9, no. 121. Montreal. October 7, 1875. p. 2.
  • "Biographie de Victor Roy". Le Monde illustré (Newspaper) (in French). Vol. 9, no. 446. Montreal. November 19, 1892. p. 342.
  • "Montreal's Beautiful Homes : "Ravenscrag," The Home of Sir Montagu Allan". The Saturday Mirror (Newspaper). Vol. 1, no. 6 (Montréal Publishing Company Limited ed.). Montreal. March 8, 1913. p. 6.
  • "Avis important : Pour le compte de Sir H. Montagu Allan, Fraser Brothers Limited ont le plaisir d'annoncer une grande vente à l'encan d'une partie des superbes effets de ménage, antiques et modernes, du manoir "Ravenscrag", situé à 1025 Ave des Pins Ouest". La Presse (Newspaper) (in French). Vol. 57, no. 28. Montreal. November 16, 1940. p. 49.
  • Ludington, Tracy S. (November 19, 1940). "Ravenscrag's Halls Come to Life As Rich Furnishings Go on Block". The Gazette (Newspaper). Vol. 169, no. 278. Montreal.
  • "Ravenscrag given to Royal Victoria". The Montreal Gazette (Newspaper). Vol. 12, no. 126. Montreal. November 11, 1940.
  • "Ravenscrag… the Historic Residence of Sir Montagu and Lady Allan presented to the Royal Victoria Hospital". The Montreal Daily Star (Newspaper). Vol. 72, no. 273. Montreal. November 14, 1940.
  • "Auction draws crowds to Ravenscrag". The Gazette (Newspaper). Vol. 169, no. 279. Montreal. November 19, 1940.
  • "Un institut de psychiatrie établi au "Ravenscrag"". Montréal-Matin (Newspaper) (in French). Vol. 14, no. 4. Montreal. July 8, 1943. p. 16.
  • "L'École du meuble hérite de trois collections". Le Devoir (Newspaper) (in French). Vol. 34, no. 248. Montreal. October 28, 1943. p. 3.
  • "Le «Ravenscrag» est aujourd'hui l'Institut Allan". La Patrie (Newspaper) (in French). Vol. 66, no. 117. Montreal. July 13, 1944. p. 22.
  • Pinard, Guy (October 18, 1987). "Le Ravenscrag". La Presse (Newspaper) (in French). Vol. 103, no. 353. Montreal. p. A8 (Cahier A).
  • Lowrie, Morgon (April 26, 2015). "L'express du matin : Centre de santé McGill". La Presse (Newspaper) (in French). Montreal. p. A3.
  • Ducas, Isabelle (May 25, 2022). "Feu vert au réaménagement de l'ancien hôpital Royal Victoria". La Presse + (Newspaper) (in French). Montreal. p. A18.
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