Bobby Watt, "Parliament Hill: The Materials, the Methods and the Legends"

Snecked Stonemasonry    

by Bobby Watt    

This method of bonding stonework is so prevalent in Scotland and Ireland it has been referred to in some journals as ‘Celtic Bond’. Amongst the French speakers in Canada it is known as ‘travail ecossais'.

Whatever it’s called, this is a method of building an incredibly strong masonry wall with differently sized, (and even very loosely squared), stones, in either ashlar or rubble work, with a pattern that is both handsome and, at the higher levels of workmanship, artistic.

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Ottawa’s Heritage Hero: Sandy Smallwood, Andrex Inc.

by Leslie Maitland

A leader in heritage conservation for nearly 40 years, Sandy Smallwood has pioneered the purchase and restoration of many heritage properties in Ottawa. Sandy started to work on an older property while still at university in 1973. He had been shocked by the demolitions of heritage structures in the city. And literature inspired him as well: Mordecai Richler’s Duddy Kravatz, who was seized by the idea of owning land, focussed Sandy’s thinking on his own interests and priorities. He was struck by the gulf between the world of academe, and the “real” world. The restoration bug got hold of him, and as he says, you do it because you love it.

 

Image 2: Sandy Smallwood in the stair hall of Andrex House (photo credit: Leslie Maitland, 2012).

 

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National Treasure: The Chaudière District in Canada’s Capital

By Mark Brandt

The Victoria-Chaudière Islands area embodies a veritable history book of Canada. Next to the Parliament Buildings, no other place in the Capital is as charged with symbolic meaning for Canadians and yet so little known by residents and visitors alike. Read More

Looking Up Light Standards in and Around Historic Areas in Ottawa

By Stuart Lazear

It is easy to take for granted the beautiful light fixtures in and around historic areas in the City. What is not widely known, however, is the care taken by the National Capital Commission (NCC) and the City of Ottawa in restoring, repro- ducing and adapting them for new contemporary designs. Take time this sping or summer to “look up” during your walks about town to enjoy the City’s unique light fixtures – good examples of Ottawa's engineering heritage. Read More

Bank of Canada Doors

By James D. Georgiles

How many people scurrying along Wellington Street, Ottawa on their way to or from work pause to notice the magnificent doors on the old Bank of Canada? Attracted by the presence of Greek lettering on them, I approached the doors. After all, what is Greek doing on a Canadian Government building? I was rewarded, for these graceful doors with their classical motifs now partially obscured by a patina of verdigris demand a closer inspection. Read More

The Ottawa Hull Fire, April 26, 1900

Local Lime Production in Pioneer Times

Several small lime kilns were constructed in the 19th Century around the Ottawa Valley. For a long time these were the main, or maybe the only, sources of lime. Read More