William Lyon Mackenzie King kept a daily diary totalling about 30,000 pages from 1893 to 1950, almost all of it is available online on the Library and Archives Canada digital library. He wrote much of his diary at Kingsmere near Gatineau, an estate that comprised of three parts.
Guest cottage at Kingswood 
Main cottage at Kingswood
Kingswood was his summer retreat until he became prime minister. Then, he spent much of his social life as prime minister living in adjacent woodside during the Great Depression and the Second World War. He retired to the Farm and eventually died there, the Farm is now the official residence of the Speaker of the House of Commons.
Boathouse at Kingswood 
Kingsmere Lake
Kingswood originally consisted of a carriage shed and a main cottage. King built a guest cottage when his place in politics grew and the main cottage was no longer sufficient to host relatives and friends. A flight of stairs down to the lake brings you to the boathouse for aquatic activities. Despite being near water, the property wasn’t connected to running water until 1924.
Main residence at Moorside 
Abbey at Moorside
The main residence at Moorside is the centrepiece of the entire estate. King entertained guests and dignitaries here along with his dog, Pat. Today, visitors can dine at the estate just like Roosevelt did in 1943. The grounds of Moorside feature a collection of relocated ruins. “A Window on the Forest” and the “Arc de Triomphe” were both taken from the now-demolished British American Banknote Company in Ottawa.
Window of the Forest 
Arc de Triomphe
The “Abbey” further down the meadow was made from the ruins of three different buildings, but chiefly comprised of masonry from the old parliament building that burned down in 1916.
