Current condition
Demolished / No longer exists
Date completed
(Day, Month, & Year are approximate.)
Date closed / demolished
(Day, Month, & Year are approximate.)
Completion date is guestimate from building style
Later place(s) at this location
Comments
Waterford/Ticia Mansion
I have fond memories of Waterford, the Xavier family home on MacDonnell Road, with a path leading up to the red-bricked house with its black-tiled roof, and creepers adorning the facade. There was a stream running alongside the house all the way down to the road, passing the spacious lawn in front. The house had several bedrooms on different levels, and a large dining room adjoining the very spacious parlor/reception room on the main floor. There was a courtyard on the ground level, around which the servants' quarters and the kitchen were located.
On the property, adjacent to the main house, was Ticia Mansion, a building of flats with a spiral staircase that housed some of the family relatives as well as the Palmer family.
My maternal grandmother, Angelina Praxedes (dos Remedios) D'Almada E Castro, was sister to Leticia (Ticia), one of ten siblings. Ticia married a Xavier and the family was often referred to as the Xaviers of MacDonnell Road. Aunty Ticia, as we all called her, hosted a high tea gathering at the house every year during the Christmas season. I have this memory of her sitting in her armchair in the parlor to receive her guests. It was always fun to visit the house at that festive time and enjoy the lavish tea spread. My parents, my aunts, cousins and I all attended this traditional event for a number of years.
I was sorry not to find any photos of this house in my family albums, so was pleased to see mention of the house and pertinent information on this website.