Victoria Day Weekend 1: Following in the footsteps of "the Anne Girl"

Okay, Anne of Green Gables fans, hold onto your boaters and your carpet bags because I'm about to show you where much of the Anne movies were actually filmed!!  Since it is Victoria Day weekend here in Canada, I thought a perfect outing would be the Westfield Village, home to several places that served as  buildings in the town of Avonlea for the Sullivan films and literally only 20 km from my own Victorian village home.  

First of all, these buildings below served as the main part of Avonlea. You may recall Anne getting a buggy ride with a certain Gilbert Blythe around these parts?

Key setting for the film: the General store where Matthew asks for a rake and some hayseed (in winter), buys 20 lbs of brown sugar, and the item he was trying to purchase all along: a dress with PUFFED SLEEVES for Anne. 

The General store is now a candy shop and place where folks can buy light lunch items, but the darling shopkeeper excitedly told me the places where Anne and Matthew actually stood during the scenes filmed here.

Even the sweets were sweeter in the past...

The fabulous shop-keeper and sodas at distinctly un-historical prices

Both Matthew and Anne stood where I was standing to take this photo in front of the cash register: Matthew did while ordering the shop-keeper to get him the rake and the sugar and the puffed sleeves; Anne later did while getting some organdy for the dress she would later wear for her "Highwayman" recital at the White Sands Hotel.

Refueling for the next leg of the Anne extravanganza...

Okay, so although the "puffed sleeves" scene was in the General store, it is in the next building over where the amazing fabrics and ready to wear vintage fashions are housed.  Notice the dress in the window is a replica of Anne's own puffed sleeves dress!!!! Okay, now, hang on to your (vintage) hats, bloggers: this shop was filled to the rafters with authentic clothing, fabrics, sewing notions, hats, shoes, the works.  Can you imagine if this was actually a vintage shop where you could buy up every last thing?  Alas, these were for display only...but what a gloriously meticulous display it was...

Hello Edwardian lovelies!! Swoon!

Oh! Chapeaux!

While now a treasure trove of antique dresses, this room was used for the asylum scenes in Anne of Green Gables, where Anne would talk to her reflection.

One last loving look at the "Anne" dress

Next stop is the train station where Matthew picks up Anne for the first time (remember? He expects a boy but finds the little red haired girl instead?)

LOVE this Gibson Girl/New Woman outfit!  Is it just me or doesn't 1930s fashion echo Edwardian styles quite a bit?

Lilacs blooming near the platform! Could this BE a dreamier place??

We interrupted the station master having his afternoon pipe and coffee, but I had to stand where Anne once sat on the bench at Bright River station (now called Jerseyville). Cheshire grin!!

THE bench and THE Bright River sign from the movie

And that concludes our epic Anne journey...for now. Stay tuned for future Anne posts as we visit the other places used in the Anne movies (and possibly settings from Road to Avonlea). Also, I've got OODLES more pics from the day at this amazing historical site, but will save them for another post.  xoxo

Outfit: 1930s dress from thirteeneightyfive on Etsy; 1930s shoes from eBay.