Article

Stornoway

Updated by Celine Cooper

Published Online February 7, 2006

Last Edited June 16, 2020

Stornoway is the official residence of Canada’s federal leader of the Opposition. It is located at 541 Acacia Ave in the village of Rockcliffe Park in Ottawa. Purchased in 1950 by a private trust, Stornoway has been owned by the Government of Canada since 1970 and managed by the National Capital Commission since 1986. 

Stornoway, Exterior
The exterior of Stornoway, the home of Canada's Leader of the Opposition. 
(Courtesy National Capital Commission)

History

Stornoway is a simple two-storey, stucco-sheathed house located on spacious grounds. It was one of the earliest permanent buildings in Rockcliffe Park. The home was designed by local architect Allan Keefer, who was responsible for many luxurious homes in the area, and built in 1913-14 for Ascanio Joseph Major, a prosperous Ottawa merchant. In 1923, it was purchased by the Perley-Robertson family. During the Second World War (WWII), Stornoway was the residence of royal exiles Crown Princess Juliana of the Netherlands and her family.

Did you know? Stornoway served as the residence of every leader of the Opposition since George Drew (who held the position from 1948 until 1954, and moved into Stornoway with his wife in 1950) until 1993, when Bloc Québécois leader Lucien Bouchard refused to live there.