Description of Historic Place

The Defensible Lockmaster’s House is sided in a prominent location overlooking the Rideau Canal near the lock at Kilmarnock Lockstation, as part of the Rideau Canal National Historic Site of Canada. The two-storey, hipped roof, stone masonry structure is square in plan. The doors and windows are regularly placed and a glazed porch protects the front entrance. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Defensible Lockmaster’s House is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical Value
The Defensible Lockmaster’s House is a very good example of a building associated with the construction and operation of the Rideau Canal. The house illustrates the theme of military defence of Upper Canada and Lower Canada in the second quarter of the 19th century, and the evolution and transformation of the waterway as a federal public work. This building is the only structure on the site surviving from the military era, and is an important representative example of the formative period in the development of Kilmarnock. The structure typifies the changing role of the Rideau Canal from a military function to that of transportation.

Architectural Value
The Defensible Lockmaster’s House, valued for its very good aesthetic design characteristic of a late 19th-century residence, is an example of a dual-purpose military and residential structure. Early defensive features included loopholes, while the second-storey addition and summer kitchen reflect the emphasis on residential design, resulting from a change in the function of the canal by the twentieth century. The interior layout exhibits very good functional design. Good craftsmanship is seen in both the thick masonry of the lower storey, the second storey addition and their skillful integration.

Environmental Value
The Defensible Lockmaster’s House reinforces the historic character of its park-like setting at Kilmarnock Lockstation and is a familiar landmark to local residents and to visitors.

Sources: James De Jonge, Twenty Nine Buildings, Central Area, Rideau Canal, Ontario, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office, Building Report 91-072 to 91-081; Defensible Lockmaster’s House, Kilmarnock Lockstation, Rideau Canal, Ontario, Heritage Character Statement 91-077.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Defensible Lockmaster’s House should be respected.

Its very good aesthetic, functional design and very good quality materials and craftsmanship, for example: the two-storey massing; the hipped roof, and the chimney; the exterior walls constructed of stone masonry, the thick stone walls of the lower floor, with an infilled loophole on the south façade; the placement of the windows and doors, and the symmetrical placement of the second-storey windows; the rear kitchen addition; the interior configuration.

The manner in which the Defensible Lockmaster’s House reinforces the historic character of its park-like setting at Kilmarnock Lockstation and is a familiar local landmark, as evidenced by: its overall scale, design and materials, which harmonize with the surrounding green spaces at the lockstation; its visibility due to its prominent location adjacent to the canal, which makes it a local landmark.

Heritage Character Statement

Disclaimer - The heritage character statement was developed by FHBRO to explain the reasons for the designation of a federal heritage building and what it is about the building that makes it significant (the heritage character). It is a key reference document for anyone involved in planning interventions to federal heritage buildings and is used by FHBRO in their review of interventions.

The Defensible Lockmaster's House was built at Kilmarnock Lockstation in 1841 by the Royal Engineers as part of the defence system for the Rideau Canal. A limestone second storey was added to the main structure in the 1890s, followed soon by a single-storey frame summer kitchen. The Canadian Parks Service is the custodian. See FHBRO Building Report 91-77.

Reasons For Designation

The building was designated Recognized as a result of its historical associations, its aesthetic and functional design, quality craftsmanship, and the character of its site and setting.

The design of the defensible lockmaster's house type was a result of the military role of the Rideau Canal in the defence of the united Canadas during the nineteenth century. This building is the only structure on the site surviving from the military era, and hence is an important representative of the formative period in the development of Kilmarnock.

The second-storey addition and summer kitchen reflect the emphasis on residential design which resulted from a change in the function of the canal by the twentieth century from defence to recreation and commerce.

The house, in a prominent location overlooking the lock, enhances the historic character of the lockstation.

Character Defining Elements

The heritage character of this structure is defined by the aesthetic integration of military and residential design features, the high level of craftsmanship and materials and its contribution to the setting.

The Kilmarnock Defensible Lockmaster's House is a two-storey, hipped-roof stone masonry structure, retaining a turn-of-the-century frame kitchen at the rear. It was originally a single-storey hipped-roof structure, square in plan. The well-integrated addition of a second storey in stone is unique among the Rideau Canal defensible lockmaster's houses. The result is aesthetically successful and maintains the simple massing of the original. The original symmetrical placement of window and door openings is maintained in the placement of the second-storey windows.

The thick stone walls of the lower floor, with an infilled loophole on the south facade, reflect the military role of the building during the nineteenth century, and display the careful construction associated with the Royal Engineers.

Some interior first-floor partition walls appear also to date from this period. The later second-storey addition and the rear kitchen reflect the change in function from defence to simple domestic accommodation associated with the change in the role of the canal itself, and the careful integration of the second-storey addition attests to the craftsmanship of the turn-of-the-century masons.

The site and setting retain the residential character of the early twentieth century. Its high visibility makes the house a local landmark. The overall form, historic materials, residential character, and setting of this property should be maintained.