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Home of the Week, 12 Courcelette Rd., The Beaches, Toronto. Being so close to Lake Ontario makes the house feel like a retreat, even though located in the heart of the city.

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The home comes with an impressive historic pedigree. It was designed by E.J. Lennox for Sir Henry Pellatt as the groundskeeper’s house at Pellatt’s summer estate. Lennox went on to build Pellatt’s dream castle, otherwise known as Casa Loma, today a Toronto landmark.

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“Most of the house is original,” says the owner, who over the years upgraded the electrical, the plumbing and repainted both the interior and the exterior, but not much else. “The kitchen is dated,” she says in all honesty. “It needs some TLC.”

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The owner says she bought the house because it is light-filled, even on a rainy day.

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The home has a seasonal garden accessed through sliding doors in a back room.

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The Victorian-style fireplace is decorated with hand-painted tile imported from England. A hand-carved statue of the goddess Diana stands at the foot of the staircase.John Hryniuk/The Globe and Mail

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