Carillon Barracks National Historic Site of Canada

Carillon, Quebec
Corner view of the river side of the Carillon Barracks showing the location of the building on the banks of the Ottawa River, next to the Carillon Canal, 1989. © Parks Canada Agency/ Agence Parcs Canada, 1989.
Corner View
© Parks Canada Agency/ Agence Parcs Canada, 1989.
General view of the Carillon Barracks showing the simpler square-headed south door with a gallery, 2003. © Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, E. Le Bel, 2003.Corner view of the river side of the Carillon Barracks showing the location of the building on the banks of the Ottawa River, next to the Carillon Canal, 1989. © Parks Canada Agency/ Agence Parcs Canada, 1989.Front facade of the Carillon Barracks showing the British military design inspired by classical tradition, notably its rectangular two-storey massing on a raised basement and Palladian features, 2003. © Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, E. Le Bel, 2003.
Address : 50 Principale Street, Carillon, Quebec

Recognition Statute: Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date: 1960-05-30
Dates:
  • 1836 to 1838 (Construction)
  • 1837 to 1840 (Significant)

Event, Person, Organization:
  • Deputy Commissary General C.J. Forbes  (Architect)
  • Deputy Commissary General C.J. Forbes  (Builder)
Other Name(s):
  • Carillon Barracks  (Designation Name)
Research Report Number: 1960-029, 2000-OB-05
DFRP Number: 07423 00

Plaque(s)


Plaque Removed:  50 Principale Street, Carillon, Quebec

Construction of this building was begun about 1836 for former Deputy Commissary General C. J. Forbes, who had retired, here, in Carillon. It was still unfinished when leased by the Army to house troops during the civil disorders of 1837. As perhaps originally intended, the building served as a hotel for a number of years, following the withdrawal of the soldiers in 1840. Since 1938 the "Carillon Barracks," as it has continued to be known, has housed the Carillon Museum.

Description of Historic Place

Carillon Barracks National Historic Site of Canada is a two-storey stone barracks in a vernacular version of British classical design located on the main street of the village of Carillon, Quebec. It sits on land that slopes gently for about 61 metres (200 ft.) down to the banks of the Ottawa River at the foot of the Carillon Rapids. It is now operated as the Carillon Museum.

Heritage Value

Carillon Barracks was declared a National Historic Site in 1960 because it is an excellent representative example of military architecture, associated with the construction of the Rideau and Ottawa Military Canals system, associated with the Rebellion of 1837.

The heritage value of Carillon Barracks National Historic Site of Canada resides in its historical associations and in its excellent representation of a dual Officers' Quarters and NCO's Barracks in the British Classical tradition as illustrated by its site, setting, design and materials. Construction of the Carillon Barracks began in 1836 under its owner, former Deputy Commissary General C.J. Forbes, who had retired to Carillon. Before it had been completed, it was leased by the British Army during the 1837 Rebellion. During this period of civil disruption, it housed troops called in to suppress the rebellion in the Comté des Deux Montagnes. It also served as a stores depot for frontier garrisons on the St. Lawrence Front. During the construction of the Carillon and Chute-à-Blondeau canals, it was occupied, for a time, by Officers of the Royal Staff Corps. After the military withdrew in 1840, the building served as a hotel for many years. In 1938 it was restored to its 1837 appearance by Montreal architect and conservationist Percy Nobbs, and has been subsequently used as the premises of the Carillon Museum.

Sources: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, 1960, 1984; Commemorative Integrity Statement, n.d.

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements contributing to the heritage value of this site include: the location of the building on the banks of the Ottawa River, next to the Carillon Canal; the British military design inspired by classical tradition, notably its rectangular two-storey massing on a raised basement, its hipped roof, its Palladian features (such as its regular, rectangular window and door openings arranged in a basically symmetrical manner, the arched main west door with its top and sidelights, decorative surrounds, panels and raised porch, central main facade Venetian window, the simpler square-headed south door with a gallery, its square-headed multi-pane double hung windows, its pedimented dormers, and prominent chimneys); evidence of its functional subdivision into Officer's Quarters and NCO Barracks, particular as indicated by its asymmetrically placed exterior doors, main doors at each end and an interior masonry dividing wall, the passages through the masonry dividing wall on the ground and attic floors, the insulated attic with false ceiling and access stairway, the 1837 kitchen of the NCO's Quartars, remnants of the Commissariat Store and Prison in the basement; surviving remnants of its original finishes; evidence of the original siting illustrated by the low levels of the building site in relation to the in-filled road and railbed nearby; the orientation of the building with its long side to the river; viewscapes to the foot of the Carillon Rapids and towards the original dock.