The Diary of Sophia Macnab: Written at Dundurn Castle, Hamilton, 1846 Age 13

72 pp. "Sophia Macnab (pronounced with a long i) was the daughter of Sir Allan Napier Macnab, a politician who eventually became Prime Minister of Canada West in the days before Canada became a Dominion. Macnab had his home built in an Italian Regency villa style which was one of the finest estates in the province. Named Dundurn, it was nicknamed Castle by the locals, has been fully restored and is a popular tourist attraction where guided tours are given year round. Sophia's diary details her daily day to day life which was spent mostly at home with occasional visits to neighbours or nearby relations, though more often than not they were the ones who were visited. 1846 was the year that Sophia's mother died from an unknown lung ailment and for 3/4s of the diary Sophia lovingly reports on "Dearest Mamma's" health. A day in the life of young Miss Macnab would usually include lessons with the tutor, sitting with Mamma, sewing, lessons with the music teacher, learning her catechism and in the evenings depending on Mamma's health gathering around her bed with her sisters and aunt or taking turns with them sitting while otherwise occupying herself sewing or writing in the diary." --Nicola Manning. "Dundurn Castle is a historic neoclassical mansion on York Boulevard in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The 18,000-square-foot (1,700 m2) house took three years and $175,000.00 to build, and was completed in 1835. The seventy-two room castle featured the latest conveniences of gas lighting and running water. It is currently owned by the City of Hamilton, which purchased it in 1900 for $50,000. The City has spent nearly $3 million renovating the site to make 42 of the original 72 rooms open to the public. The rooms have been restored to the year 1855 when its owner Sir Allan Napier MacNab, 1st Baronet, was at the height of his career. Costumed interpreters guide visitors through the home, illustrating daily life from the 1850s. The Duchess of Cornwall, a descendant of Sir Allan MacNab, is the Royal Patron of Dundurn Castle. Dundurn Castle, a Regency house, was completed in 1835 by architect Robert Charles Wetherell. MacNab purchased the property from Richard Beasley, one of Hamilton's early settlers, when financial difficulties forced Beasley to sell lands at Burlington Heights (present day Dundurn Park), and MacNab built Dundurn Castle on the foundations of Beasley's brick home. Once built, Dundurn Castle became famous all over the country for its grand entertainments. Sir John A. Macdonald and King Edward VII are among those who have been entertained there. Sir Allan MacNab, later prime minister of the united Province of Canada between 1854 and 1856, hired architect Robert Wetherall and construction of this stately home was completed in 1835. It became the property of the City of Hamilton and, in the late 1960s, it was restored as a Centennial project. It is now designated as a National Historic Site of Canada. A Strathspey for bagpipes was composed in honour of Dundurn Castle."