Fact and fiction collide at the childhood home of acclaimed author Margaret Laurence.

The Italianate style Laurence House was built by her grandfather, John Simpson, in 1894. It is a modest example of the style, with a spacious veranda and two pavilions on the east and south sides. Framing the verandah are fine wooden details, including modest Tuscan columns, lattice skirting, and a white balustrade. A stained-glass window on the front door greets visitors to the house.

Neepawa, its buildings and its people, and Laurence House served as inspiration for Laurence’s Manawaka novels, including Simpson, a prolific builder in Neepawa. He was partly responsible for the construction of multiple blocks of the town. He, alongside William Guinn, founded the construction company Guinn and Simpson which still operates today.

Laurence moved out of the house in 1944 to attend university in Winnipeg, and would work for the Winnipeg Citizen as a reporter before publishing her first novel in 1961. Over the course of her career, she would receive two Governor General awards and was named as a National Historic Person. Her former family home today functions as a museum dedicated to Laurence’s literary career.