Prince's Lodge, Nova Scotia Explained

Prince's Lodge
Settlement Type:Neighbourhood
Official Name:Prince's Lodge
Mapsize:275px
Pushpin Map:Canada
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Canada
Pushpin Relief:yes
Flag Size:100px
Blank Emblem Size:120
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Canada
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Nova Scotia
Government Type:Regional Municipality
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Mike Savage
Leader Title1:Governing body
Leader Name1:Halifax Regional Council
Leader Title2:MPs
Leader Title3:MLAs
Established Title:Neighbourhood
Established Date:April 1, 1996
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:2.03
Blank Name:Dwellings
Blank1 Name:Median Income
Blank3 Name:NTS Map
Blank4 Name:GNBC Code
Blank4 Info:CBUCG
Population As Of:2016
Population Demonym:Haligonian
Timezone:AST
Utc Offset:−04:00
Timezone Dst:ADT
Utc Offset Dst:−03:00
Coordinates:44.6964°N -63.6606°W
Postal Code Type:Postal code span
Postal Code:B0J,B3A to B4G
Area Codes:782, 902
Blank Name Sec2:GDP (Halifax)
Website:www.halifax.ca

Prince's Lodge is a 500acres neighbourhood located on the shore of Bedford Basin, between the communities of Rockingham and Bedford in Nova Scotia, Canada within the Halifax Regional Municipality on the Bedford Highway (Trunk 2).

History

Prince's Lodge was named for the estate that Prince Edward, Duke of Kent resided in while in Halifax in from 1794 to 1800. In 1794, Prince Edward arrived to serve in Halifax as Commander-in-Chief of the King's forces in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. He was accompanied by his French mistress Madame de Saint-Laurent. The Prince was often entertained by Sir John Wentworth, the Lieutenant-Governor of the colony, at his rural estate, the "Friar's Cell", as Wentworth called it, is an allusion to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The Prince liked it so much that Wentworth felt obliged to offer it to him during his stay in Halifax. Prince Edward accepted, and had the residence renovated into a two-storey (likely Palladian architecture mansion)[2] and expanded, while also having the lands and gardens (with Chinese like pagodas) around the estate developed by a landscaper brought from England. The result was what is today Hemlock Ravine Park, 185acres with a heart-shaped pond known as Julie's Pond, constructed by order of the Prince in her honour.

The Wentworths resumed living in the Lodge when Prince Edward returned to the UK in 1798. Now called the Prince's Lodge, it was here that Wentworth established the Rockingham Club in the former officer's barracks. After Wentworth's death, the estate was neglected. By 1870, in ruins, it was sold at auction and divided into building lots. All that remains of the original estate is the music room (Rotunda) less a foot bridge spanning over railway line, which the Nova Scotia Government acquired in 1959. It is a small, round music room that stands on a knoll overlooking the Bedford Basin.

See also

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Prince's Lodge . hmhps.ca . Halifax Military Heritage Preservation Society . 12 July 2021.
  2. Web site: The Legacy of Prince Edward in Halifax, 1794-1800.