Benares Historic House is Mississauga’s most elegant heritage property — a beautifully preserved Victorian-era manor in the Clarkson neighbourhood at 1507 Clarkson Road North, overlooking the Credit River Valley in one of the most historically significant residential settings in the city. The house was home to the Harris family from 1857 to 1959 — over a century of continuous family occupation — making it one of the longest-tenured family residences among Ontario’s historic houses. Now operated by the City of Mississauga as a museum and cultural venue.

The property’s history begins with Captain John Harris, who purchased the land in 1835 and built the original house in the late 1830s. Subsequent generations of the Harris family expanded and refined the property through the Victorian and Edwardian eras, leaving a layered architectural record reflecting changing tastes and prosperity across more than a century of occupancy. The name ‘Benares’ — referencing the sacred Indian city on the Ganges — was given by the Harris family and reflects the Victorian fascination with the British Empire’s global reach.

Interior rooms are period-furnished with the Harris family’s original possessions alongside contextual artifacts from the Victorian and Edwardian eras. The presentation style prioritizes the specific over the generic — this is not a recreation of a typical Victorian house but a documentation of how one particular family lived across generations, using their actual furniture, objects, photographs, and records. Guided tours during regular hours bring the family’s history to life with biographical specificity that distinguishes a good heritage house from a period display.

The formal gardens surrounding the house are planted with heritage-appropriate varieties — Victorian ornamental plantings, heritage apple and fruit trees, and seasonal flowering peaking in spring through early summer. The gardens reinforce the heritage character of the property in a way that modern landscaping would undermine. The Credit River Valley views from the elevated property add natural drama to the setting.

In summer 2026, Benares is hosting ‘On the Verandah’ — free outdoor concerts every Friday from June 3 to August 14. Performances span the musical spectrum and use the heritage verandah as a stage, with the gardens and grounds as the audience setting. A collection is taken at intermission to support the museum’s programming. This is one of Mississauga’s most atmospheric and least-publicized free summer events — the combination of heritage setting, garden environment, and live music creates an experience genuinely different from the festival concert format that dominates summer outdoor programming in the city.

The Clarkson location places Benares within cycling distance of Rattray Marsh Conservation Area and Jack Darling Memorial Park, and near the Waterfront Trail on Lakeshore Road West. Combining a Thursday or Friday afternoon visit to Benares — ending with the On the Verandah concert in summer — with a morning walk through Rattray Marsh is one of the best local half-day itineraries in southwest Mississauga.

The museum also connects to broader Mississauga cultural programming. The Bradley Museum (related Victorian-era heritage property) and the Benares site are part of Mississauga’s heritage museum network, and combined visits to both properties within a day provide a comprehensive picture of affluent Ontario life in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Practical Visitor Info

Address:

1507 Clarkson Road North, Mississauga, ON L5J 3B9

Phone:

(905) 822-1569

Website:

https://www.mississauga.ca/arts-and-culture/museums/

Hours:

Guided tours on the hour, noon–3pm. Check mississauga.ca for current days of operation and special event schedule.

Admission:

Admission by donation. Recommended $5–$10 per individual or $20 per family.

Getting There:

By car: 1507 Clarkson Road North, Clarkson area of west Mississauga. Free parking on-site.

Nearby:

Bradley Museum (nearby), Lake Ontario waterfront, Port Credit village, Rattray Marsh Conservation Area

Currently also hosting Bradley House tours during that site’s restoration — worth combining both in one visit to Clarkson.