1

Many people in the Hillary family were musically and artistically inclined, which their friends and the community got to enjoy whenever they set foot in The Manor.

2

Violin
Mid 19th Century

Credits:
Aurora Historical Society

3

Robert William Hillary was called a "master of the violin" and was known to play at parties around town where he was enthusiastically received by the crowd. In the late 1800s, the ballroom of Hillary House was used by the Aurora Orchestra to practise chamber music. Robert William established the orchestra with William Willis, and it became one of the most popular bands in the county.

Robert William Hillary was also an accomplished artist winning prizes in local fairs for his sketches.

4

Past and Present: A Canadian Musician's Reminiscences by Louise McDowell
1957
Aurora, Ontario, Canada

Credits:
Aurora Historical Society

5

Eleanor 'Nellie' Hillary, daughter of Robert William, inherited some of her father's musical traits. After receiving vocal training from her aunts Peggy and Nora, Nellie became a prominent mezzo-soprano ballad singer in Toronto.

6

Program
1 March 1881
City Hall, Guelph, Ontario, Canada

Credits:
Aurora Historical Society

7

Dorothy Hillary, daughter of Robert Michael, was also musically inclined. Dorothy studied music in Winnipeg while she was a teen, and played the organ regularly at Trinity Anglican Church in Aurora.

8

Beatrice Hillary painting
Circa 1918

Credits:
Aurora Historical Society

9

Beatrice Hillary, daughter of Robert Michael, studied art in Toronto during which time she met her future husband and fellow artist, Guy Roberts. Guy's family owned the Roberts Gallery in Toronto from 1870 to 1940. Established in 1842 by a William Pell, it is one of the oldest art galleries in Canada.

10

Plaster Copy Sculpture of Venus de Milo
Circa 1920
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Credits:
Aurora Historical Society

11

Painting of Mountains in British Columbia
Circa 1940
British Columbia, Canada

Credits:
Aurora Historical Society

12

Traces of the music and art that enriched the lives of those at The Manor can still be found around the house today: the piano in the drawing room, Robert William's violin in the study, Beatrice's Venus de Milo in the drawing room and the other various artworks by Guy Roberts that grace the walls.