Skip to Main Content

Web Archive

print small medium large 

March 1, 2006
For immediate release

Four Properties Added to PEI Register of Heritage Places

Community and Cultural Affairs

The Honourable Elmer MacFadyen, Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs, today announced the registration of the Little Sands United Church, Crane’s Landing Tea Room in Mount Stewart, Stanhope by the Sea, and the Wright House in Bedeque as heritage places under the Heritage Places Protection Act.

“I am very pleased to make this announcement today which acknowledges the outstanding heritage character of these buildings,” said Minister MacFadyen. “These properties are an important part of the history and culture of the communities of Little Sands, Mount Stewart, Stanhope and Bedeque and surrounding areas. These buildings have played a significant role in the province's religious, social, economic and tourism history and continue to be fine examples of architecture."

The former Little Sands Presbyterian Church was built in 1898 by D. J. MacLean, a local builder. After church union in 1925, the church became affiliated with the United Church of Canada. Its unique architecture and design, a local interpretation of neo-Classical and Carpenter Gothic styles featuring wood shingles, vertical and horizontal clapboard siding, a circular window with a double Trinity design and verandah, make this building unique in the province.

The former home of local merchant Soloman Clark, Crane’s Landing Tea-Room in Mount Stewart, was built in approximately 1889. Crane’s Landing is a good example of the Island ell architectural style commonly found throughout the Island.

Stanhope by the Sea originally opened as Point Pleasant Hotel in 1878 by the MacMillan family. The building, with its ideal location on Covehead Bay near Prince Edward Island’s north shore, has had a long association with the history of the tourism industry in the province. The property is a focal point for the community and while the building has had additions over the years, the style and design of the original hotel have been maintained.

Built during the early settlement period of Prince Edward Island, the Wright House in Bedeque was built by, or for, Nathaniel Wright (1765-1825) and his family. With its intact clapboard siding and placement of windows and flues, it is an extremely early example of Loyalist architecture, of which few examples survive in the province. The house plays an integral part in the character of the community which is known as an early Loyalist settlement.

There are two levels of recognition under the Heritage Places Protection Act's Register of Heritage Places – registration and designation. Registration of a heritage place acknowledges the architectural and historical importance of the property while the goal of designation is to preserve and protect the places that stand as the most important symbols of the history of Prince Edward Island.

Places proposed for recognition are reviewed by the Ministerial Heritage Places Advisory Board in light of criteria such as age, architectural style and historical associations. Places deemed to be of exceptional significance to the heritage of the province may then be designated by the Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs. Designation provides ongoing legal protection to the heritage character of a property.

More than 70 places have been registered as heritage places and seventeen properties have been designated under the provincial heritage legislation.

For further information and application forms for the Prince Edward Island Register of Heritage Places visit www.gov.pe.ca/cca. For listings of recognized Prince Edward Island heritage places, as well as those listed from across the country, visit www.historicplaces.ca.

-30-
Media Contact: Charlotte Stewart
back to top