Last chance to tour Dundurn’s historic kitchen garden in Hamilton this weekend

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Published September 1, 2022 at 2:09 pm

dundurn garden tour
Photo via City of Hamilton

Harvest season is here and there’s one last chance to take a kitchen garden tour at Dundurn Castle in Hamilton.

The historic kitchen garden at Dundurn catered to the nutritional needs and aesthetic desires of the MacNab family 150 years ago.

Dundrun is a national historic site. The 40-room Italianate-style villa was built in the 1830s on Burlington Heights and was once home to Sir Allan Napier MacNab, railway magnate, lawyer and Premier of the United Canadas (1854-1856) and his family.

William Reid was Sir Allan’s gardener for over 25 years. The two-acre historic kitchen garden was restored and now staff grow more than 200 heirloom varieties of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers.

Tours of the garden include informative stories and historic gardening knowledge from costumed garden staff.

“The tour promises to be a pleasure for the mind and the senses,” the Dundrun website notes.

The last tours of the season are on Saturday (Sept. 3) and Sunday (Sept. 4) at 2 p.m. The one-hour tour is free but pre-registration is required and regular admission rates apply.

The tour leaves from the gift shop and continues along gravel and wood chip pathways in the full-sun garden. It is appropriate for visitors who use mobility devices.

The kitchen garden may close without warning due to inclement weather or extreme heat.

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