May
20, 2006
Hello from Ottawa: The Wakefield Mill Inn
& Spa –
A Historic Gristmill Turned into a Luxury Vacation Escape
To experience the charms of the quaint village of Wakefield, I
combined my unique transportation experience on the Hull-Chelsea
Wakefield Steam Train with a lunch experience at the historic
Wakefield
Mill Inn and Spa. Ali, the Mill’s maitre d’, came
to pick up a number of passengers from the steam train, all of whomwere
going to spend an entire weekend in this famous country retreat.
I on the other hand had barely an hour and a half to acquaint myself
with one of the most historically significant places in Wakefield.
The Wakefield Mill Inn and Spa welcomes you
The Inn’s origins date back all the way to 1838 when a Scottish
immigrant by the name of William Fairbairn decided to construct
a stone mill in order to mill local grains for farm families in
the Gatineau and LaPêche river valleys. After the sale of
the mill to James MacLaren, the mill was expanded to include a saw
mill, woolen mill and general store.
The whole complex was ravaged by fire in 1910 and a flour mill
was rebuilt, but the woolen mill stopped operating. The flour mill
continued until 1939 when larger mechanized flour mills started
displacing smaller-scale local mills. It was converted into a grist
mill to produce livestock feed for local farmers and operated until
1980 when it was turned into a heritage museum by the Gatineau Historical
Society.
Some of the historic mechanisms adorn the property
In 2000, a local husband and wife team, Robert Milling and Lynn
Berthiaume, realized their life-long dream and restored the vacant
building and turned it into today’s inn, spa and conference
centre. The renovation project was extensive and required the approval
of a variety of agencies, including the National Capital Commission
which owns the land on which the mill is located.
Several unique features of the original building have been preserved:
the heavy wooden beams in the reception area were used to support
the grain silos above, and several guest rooms (numbers 205, 206,
306 and 307) are now located in the former grain silos.
The comfortable lounge
The dining room downstairs is the former “engine room”
of the mill and underneath it used to be the location of mechanical
and electrical turbines propelling the milling process. One turbine
room is today’s Spa and the other turbine room now features
the inn’s wine cellar. Several old mechanical components are
now used as decorative elements in the outside garden surrounding
the mill.
The
Mill’s restoration has indeed been very successful, and
the new addition on the east side of the building integrates seamlessly
in the pre-existing historic structure. Ali took me downstairs into
the dining room which features stone walls, an open-hearth fireplace,
billiard table and bar. A variety of historic pictures adorns the
walls and illustrates a cross-section of the personalities behind
the mill over the years. To have lunch, I sat down in the 45-seat
Solarium that provides the most magnificent view of the MacLaren
falls.
Beautiful vistas await in the Solarium
I had a delightful Moroccan lentil soup and capped it off with
a very savory tomato and eggplant dish that just melted in your
mouth. I looked out the big picture windows at the impressive waterfall
and even on a grey day like today I was impressed by the scenic
beauty of the mill’s location. Since time was very short before
I had to get back on the Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield
Steam Train, I asked for a quick tour of this establishment
and we briefly went outside into the garden that is located between
the MacLaren River and the mill. A wooden deck with deck chairs
would provide the perfect vista of the falls in better weather.
I had a quick walk through the spa facilities which all contain
the latest top-notch equipment, perfect for relaxation and rejuvenation.
The Spa features Swedish, Californian and chair massages that range
from 15 to 60 minutes. The Spa’s facial therapies are based
on the Reflexothermal Method, a relaxing, de-stressing and healing
treatment. Two types of body therapies are offered and as well as
different choices of pedicures and manicures. Men receive special
attention with specialized facial skin treatments, relaxing body
massages and back care treatments.
A pedicure with a perfect view of MacLaren falls
One of the treatment rooms faces the falls head-on and I could
picture myself having a pedicure, sitting back in the state-of-the-art
treatment chairs and enjoying the astounding vista. A year-round
outdoor hot tub is available on the outside deck for complimentary
use for all Spa and Inn guests.
Finally, I had a chance to have a look at a couple of the Inn’s
rooms and they are decorated in light wood and tasteful colours,
many of them featuring stone walls and some of the buildings original
features.
One of the beautiful rooms at the Wakefield Mill Inn & Spa
Well, believe me, at this stage I wished I was one of those Steam
Train passengers who were going to stay overnight at this beautifully
restored inn, but I had to get back on the train to complete my
historic train trip. On our way back to the Wakefield train station,
Ali quickly took me on a side excursion up a little hill where there
is an old cemetery. One of Canada’s most famous prime ministers,
Lester B. Pearson, is buried here. Another piece of evidence of
the history that surrounds the Wakefield
Mill Inn & Spa……
Historic plaque announcing Prime Minister Lester B. Pearon's burial
site
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An interview with Tourism Ottawa
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the ByWard Market, a prime entertainment and shopping area
An interview
with the National Gallery of Canada
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with the Canadian Museum of Civilization
Helpful websites:
Ottawa
Tourism: Ottawa's official tourism information
The ByWard
Market Business Improvement Area
The
National Capital Commission
The National
Museum of Civilization
The National Gallery
of Canada
The Canadian War
Museum
The Canadian Museum
of Nature
The
Canadian Agriculture Museum
Useful books about Ottawa:
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