Rosemount Inn- Kingston, ON

Thankfully, Kingston, ON has no shortage of historic inns, because it has no shortage of visitors who want to stay in them. While the Rosemount Inn was not my first choice, it turned out to be a beautiful property, in a lovely historic neighborhood, which worked well for our stay.

After reading several articles about the Frontenac Club, I was excited to stay there when planning a last minute trip to Kingston. Only there were no vacancies. A quick search for comparable properties led me to the Rosemount Inn, which had one room available- a somewhat awkward Triple. With limited options, I happily snapped up the room.

Built in 1848 for Edward Hardy, a Kingston dry goods merchant, the substantial stone Georgian mansion was designed by William Cloverdale (who was paid 46 pounds for his services). Modeled after Queen Victoria’s Osborne House, on the Isle of Wight, it was meant to be evocative of a stately Tuscan villa.

The mansion remained in the Hardy family for several generations before eventually being reconfigured into rental units. In 1990, the property was converted into an inn, featuring 9 rooms and an adjacent coach house. In 2019, new owners refreshed the inn’s design, while retaining many original features, such as the pine floors and cast iron fence.

The result is a beautifully updated inn, that feels true to the mansion’s original design. The common areas are lovely, and invite you to linger. Our room was a bit tight, but otherwise interesting. In the future, I would opt for one of the property’s larger rooms, on the second floor, but I have absolutely no regrets about staying at the Rosemount.