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Merrickville Blockhouse National Historic Site of Canada

279 Saint Lawrence Street, Merrickville-Wolford, Ontario, K0G, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1939/05/29

Corner view of the Merrickville Blockhouse, also showing vestiges of former defensive ditch around the building, 2004.; Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, 2004.
General view
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Other Name(s)

Merrickville Blockhouse National Historic Site of Canada
Merrickville Blockhouse
Blockhaus-de-Merrickville

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1832/01/01 to 1833/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2007/05/30

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

Merrickville Blockhouse is a two-storey, masonry and timber defensive structure located on the banks of the Rideau Canal in the town of Merrickville Ontario.

Heritage Value

Merrickville Blockhouse was designated a National Historic Site because it was considered a fine example of the best type of blockhouses erected for the defence of the Rideau Canal about 1832.

Its heritage value lies in its illustration of relatively large, 19th-century British designed blockhouse. Built in 1832-33, it is associated with the construction of the Rideau Canal waterway and the defence of Canada.

Source: HSMBC Minutes, May 1939, 1967; Commemorative Integrity Statement.

Character-Defining Elements

- the blocky massing,
- its large size relative to other defensible structures along the canal,
- the tripartite design with a squat lower storey, overhanging upper storey, and steep hipped roof,
- the symmetrical design with central door and regular window openings,
- the functional design as a defensive structure with sparse door and window openings and plentiful gun slits,
- the fire resistant design with thick, vented stone walls on the basement and first storey,
- remaining original fabric in the lower storey,
- evidence of designed self-sufficiency, particularly related to the sub-division of space into provision storage, armament storage and barrack areas,
- vestiges of former defensive ditch around the building,
- the spacial relationship to the Merrickville Lockstation, particularly in the land-use allocation and circulation patterns,
- siting at the Merrickville Lockstation, with an unobstructed view up and down the Rideau waterway and down the Prescott and Brockville Roads.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Federal

Recognition Authority

Government of Canada

Recognition Statute

Historic Sites and Monuments Act

Recognition Type

National Historic Site of Canada

Recognition Date

1939/05/29

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Governing Canada
Military and Defence

Function - Category and Type

Current

Leisure
Museum

Historic

Transport-Water
Canal or Canal Works
Defence
Military Defence Installation

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

National Historic Sites Directorate, Documentation Centre, 5th Floor, Room 89, 25 Eddy Street, Gatineau, Quebec

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

422

Status

Published

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Aerial view of the canal

Rideau Canal National Historic Site of Canada

Rideau Canal National Historic Site of Canada is a 200 km man-made waterway running through a corridor of communities from Ottawa River to Lake Ontario. It was built in the mid…

General view

Merrickville Blockhouse

Located just off the Rideau Canal side in the heart of Merrickville, the Merrickville Blockhouse is an imposing well-proportioned symmetrical two-storey pyramidal-roofed…

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