Wolseley, SK

(throughout this post, click the red links for more pics)

Crystal and I recently celebrated our 4th anniversary by staying at The Banbury House Inn, a bed & breakfast in Wolseley (about 45 minutes east of Regina). Right next door to the Banbury is Le Pariesien, a fancy-schmancy french restuarant that has some fame in this neck of the woods. We didn't eat there this time, but by all accounts it is worth the drive.

I discovered the town of Wolseley this summer through school. The town administration had commissioned our class to do an historical assessment of their courthouse building, for which they are trying to get funding to restore it back to its original stature. This courthouse is one of the oldest in Saskatchewan, as it as built in 1895. And although it hasn't functioned as a legal building since the 1920's, it still retains many of its original features, including two cell's in the basement.

There are also plenty of other buildings in this town that were built around the turn of the century. Wolseley was quite the hub of activity for a while, and the CPR even built a reservoir there for its steam engines. The reservoir is now the town lake, complete with requisite swinging foot-bridge, which has been re-built twice since the first one was erected back in 1906.

The Banbury House we stayed in was built in 1907 for Edwin Ashley Banbury, at a different location that it stands now. It was moved in 1985 to be converted into its present usage. The entire building has been maintained to its original condition and appearance, as have most of the historical buildings here (I'll highlight a couple of exceptions in a bit). The staircase is at least three feet wide with all original wood...beautiful. Our room was in the third-storey tower room, which was neat, because the ceiling was cone-shaped, and about 15 feet at the peak.

Robert A. Magee was the first mayor of Wolseley, and among other things, he owned and operated a local brick-yard, which was the source for much of the brick used in buildings from the 1890's to 19-teens. This, along with local fieldstones, were the major buildings material of choice, and as such, many of the buildings have a similar treatment to them, give Wolseley almost a building style of its own.

Mr. Magee's house, which was built in 1896 shortly after he helped build the courthouse, was also built of this same stone and brick. His house, shown right, still stands as straight and true as the day it was built 100 years ago (a testament not only to craftsmanship, but also to material choice), and is still used as a residence.

Right across the street from this house is the former Town Hall/Opera House/Fire Hall. This building is most impressive, and is a designated Provincial Heritage Property. Built in 1906 at a cost of $20,000, there was not an ample enough supply of Magee's bricks, so some had to be brought in from Manitoba, but they were not an exact match. The hall portion includes a stage and rear balcony, and the firehall was at the back. It was designed like a drive-thru, so that the horses could pull the firecart inside, get unhitched, and then continue straight through back out. The tower was used to hang the fire hoses to dry. An extensive renovation/restoration was completed in 1993, and the hall can be rented out for weddings and the like.











There are a lot of nice, old buildings in this town, and a lot of them have been kept up very nicely. However, there are also some unfortunate additions and changes that have been made to some over the years. It seems like churches are a particulat target for tacky and thoughtless reno's.

Like St. George's, for instance, which was built in 1902. However, I don't think the glowing neon cross is an original feature.

Then there is St. James', which is a rather nice design, complete with butresses and a asymmetrical front elevation. However, the 1967 addition, which seems to have been designed with some consideration made to the existing design and brick-work, in my mind is a compete disaster. They would have been better off to go with something completely different but complimentary, than to aim and miss at trying to blend stylistcally.


Anyway, let's end this by saying, Wolseley is a hidden treasure I recommend to all. I'd love to take y'all on a heritage tour of this quaint prairie town. There are many, many more buildings like the few I've highlighted here. There are even real-estate opportunities here, if anyone wants to build their equity. So, let's conclude with a parting shot of my lovely wife, which also shows the Town Hall behind her in the background. (Thanx to the "Heritage Tour" booklet produced by the Town of Wolseley for much of the information in this post).