Beginners Workshop Near the Nation's Capitol

Date: 
Saturday, August 5, 2017 to Sunday, August 6, 2017
Location: 
Kingsmere Farm in the Gatineau Hills
Type: 
Historic Repair
Status: 
Completed

Our two day Kingsmer Farm workshop near Ottawa involved learning to build a wall with the available stone. No imported stone from China. No quarry stone from far away. No palleted squarish stuff from a stone supplier. No easy to shape limestone.

It's a satisfying thing to see rounded fieldstone granite sit up and look smart and be formed into such structural cohesive.


A newly built wall is not something you just look at and admire, or even just lean on.

It's something to celebrate about. Like scoring a overtime goal or hitting a home run or serving a winning ace on the last serve of the tennis match.

Building a wall has all the benefits of an athletic sport. It's possibly more thrilling and far more lasting with more of a sense of accomplishment than most outdoor activities..

Here are the healthy women and girls who helped make the wall.

A long with the grownups Echo and Willow ( two of the children who's mom and dad were taking the course) did a super job too helping build the wall and even as we were finishing up they rolled this big cope up onto the wall.! Well done you two !

A two-day hands-on workshop was offered once again by the D.S. Walling Across Canada involving the reconstruction of a segment of historic dry laid wall at the Farm on the 'Kingsmere' estate, near Ottawa. Students learned the basic elements of dry stone construction as they dismantled a 35 foot section of fallen wall and created a traditional free-standing wall the way it might have looked originally, back in Mackenzie King's day. 
This was a beginner’s two-day workshop and required no previous experience. Though this workshop was fairly labour intensive it was not back breaking. Students always have fun at these events.
Kingsmere Farm is one of many properties maintained by the National Capital Commission (NCC) . The Farm is the official residence of the Speaker of the House of Commons. It is located at Kingsmere  in Gatineau Park in Chelsea, Quebec near the nation's capital Ottawa.

The residence is so named because of its history as an old farmstead dating back to the 19th century. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King privately purchased the farmstead as part of his country estate at Kingsmere Lake.

When Prime Minister King died, he left the residence and grounds to the Government of Canada  so that future Canadian officials could make use of the area. "The Farm" is now owned and operated by the National Capital Commission.