His Summer Home

     Uniacke Estate Museum Park is part of what was the expansive (930 hectares) country estate of Attorney-General Richard John Uniacke (1753-1830). Built between 1813 and 1815, the grand country house is one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture in Canada.. The house is surrounded by towering old growth trees.

     When you enter the doors of the grand old house you will discover a place untouched by time, containing original family furnishings, portraits and personal belongings, 

A portrait of Richard John Uniacke,
 Attorney General of Nova Scotia.
He travelled by coach from Halifax to his
summer home in what is known as Mount Uniacke.

Built as a summer home for Richard John Uniacke, a Nova Scotian
Attorney-General, the estate was prominently located along the stage
coach route from Halifax to Windsor, a testimony to Uniacke’s
wealth and personal achievement.

This era was fascinated by keeping locks of peoples' hair, either
woven and put in a locket like the one in photo.

The dining table ready for a dinner party or just all the family.

I love this style of curtains. They don't
do them like that nowadays.

The living or drawing room with piano and other musical items.
Entertainment was simple: music and cards. 

A nice airy bedroom

I was surprised by this portrait of a soldier flexing his muscles

A child's nightgown

A bedroom

A maternity dress. It would be very difficult
to know if the lady was pregnant. What a difference
from the clothing worn today.

A man's vest and top hat.

A bedroom with crib in corner.

You didn't need to go outdoors. You had your own special chamber pot.

The recipe for Gingerbread made at the
Estate back in the day.

The stove in the kitchen which was located in
the basement. Now the area is used as a Tea
Room for visitors where you can have a cup of tea
and a treat while looking at original cookbooks
and kitchen tools used in the 1800s.

A branding iron used on the herds at the Estate.

The estate kept sheep which would graze outside in the front of the house. It was an idyllic scene one could admire from the portico of the grand house but to contain the sheep and keep them from wandering onto the lawns, Uniacke constructed a natural-looking barrier called a ha-ha wall -- rather than building a fence -- to avoid obstructing the panoramic view. This is the remains of this wall.

     In the barn, school children are challenged to locate several horse shoes that are hidden (in plain view) in the barn. Here are a few examples.

     A walk on a sunny day through the estate property was wonderful. There is so much to see. People in the community use the trails to walk their dogs or just to stroll with nature. Here are some of the photos from our walk.

Al sitting on a bench enjoying the view of Lake Martha

The fall colours are showing.

A perfect mirror image on Lake Martha

Note the tree in the foreground has been chewed by a beaver. There is
evidence  that several trees nearby have been chewed through as well.

The trail through the wooded area

Bev hiding amongst the trees.

Another view of Lake Martha along the trail.

Al resting on the root work of several trees.

Bev resting with Lake Martha in the background

We found a very strange creature. One you would only see in an alien movie

The death of a tree is new growth for vegetation.

I always like to challenge myself in finding the best fall
coloured Maple Leaf. There are several photos below.

Al walking along the last part of the trail

The last part of the walk was through a field where you could
see the house from this view point.

More trees that were felled by beavers.

The Uniacke Estate was a popular summer getaway for the family
for generations. It would be nice to have such a summer home
along with the surrounding property.

     We only visited this Estate once and I wished we had returned to it more times to explore all the eight trails. It is not too far from where we lived but life is busy and we did not make it back. An interesting estate and I am glad that it has been kept up for future visitors.