Engineer's Property
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site
This stately house was one of Louisbourg’s most imposing homes. The military engineers who lived and worked here were town planners, architects and construction engineers all in one – their influence pervades the town. The royal engineers laid out the streets and blocks, planned the fortifications and outlying works, and designed all the colony’s public buildings. Consulted on all scientific and technical issues, they even influenced military tactics in the sieges.
Étienne Verrier (1683-1747) was chief engineer here from 1725 to 1745. For most of those years his wife and daughter remained in France, and Verrier sometimes spent the winter there. The two sons who had accompanied him here assisted his work, so the air of the residence is masculine and professional, except in the kitchen where the cooking creates a warmer atmosphere. Ask them what’s cooking.
The garden is formal, combining vegetable beds, herbs and some flowers in geometric patterns and varied shades of green. Not every garden was so elaborate, but each was appreciated for the fresh food it added to a dried and salted diet. Beyond the garden are a laundry and stables and a poultry yard.
Étienne Verrier was criticized for his siege craft and he vastly overspent his estimates to build his house, but if you appreciate the aesthetic flair of Louisbourg and its public architecture, give the designer his due.
Related links
- Desroches House
- Dauphin Demi-Bastion and Gate
- Embrasures at Lartigue
- Lartigue House
- Artillery Storehouse and Forge
- The King's Bakery
- Duhaget Property
- De la Perelle Property
- Rodrigue Property
- De Gannes Property
- The King's Bastion
- McLennan Centre
- Through the town to the quay / De la Plagne Property
- De la Vallière Property
- Carrerot Property
- Benoist Property
- L’Epée Royale
- Magasin du Roi (King's Storehouse)
- Hôtel de la Marine
- Grandchamp Property
- Frédéric Gate
- Commissaire-Ordonnateur’s Property
- Marie Marguerite Rose plaque
- Eastward along the Quay
The reconstructed site
On the map | Building name |
---|---|
1 | Desroches House (Wheelchair accessible) |
- | Dauphin Gate |
- | Dauphin Demi-Bastion |
2 | Powder Magazine |
3 | Barracks |
4 | Postern Tunnel |
5 | Embrasures at Lartigue |
6 | Lartigue House (Wheelchair accessible) |
- | Lime Kiln |
7 | Artillery Storehouse |
8 | Artillery Forge |
9 | King's Bakery Food service |
- | Woodlot |
10 | Duhaget House (Wheelchair accessible) Garrison and Fortifications Exhibit |
- | Icehouse |
11 | De la Perelle House (Wheelchair accessible) Congrégation de Notre-Dame Exhibit |
12 | De la Perelle Storehouse |
13 | Engineer's Residence |
14 | Laundry and Stables |
15 | Rodrigue House |
16 | Rodrigue Storehouse |
17 | De Gannes House (Wheelchair accessible) |
18 | Guardhouse |
- | King's Bastion |
19 | Military Chapel |
20 | Governor's Apartments |
On the map | Building name |
---|---|
21 | King's Bastion Barracks Reconstruction, Tools of War, and Archeological Typography Exhibits |
- | King's Garden |
22 | McLennan Centre (Wheelchair accessible) (Wifi available) Virtual Reality Experience |
23 | De la Plagne (Wheelchair accessible) (Information) |
24 | De la Vallière House Mi'kmaw Interpretive Centre |
25 | De la Vallière Storehouse |
26 | De la Vallière Storehouse II |
- | Fizel and Loppinot Properties |
- | Dugas House |
27 | Carrerot House Building Techniques Exhibit |
28 | Benoist House (Wheelchair accessible) (Gift shop) |
29 | L'Épée Royale Café (Wheelchair accessible) Food service |
30 | King's Storehouse |
31 | Hôtel de la Marine (Wheelchair accessible) Food service |
32 | Grandchamp House (Wheelchair accessible) Food service |
- | Frédéric Gate |
- | Carcan |
33 | Grandchamp Inn (Wheelchair accessible) Food service |
- | Destouches House |
34 | Ordonnateur's Residence (Wheelchair accessible) Recollecting Lives Exhibit & Harbour Gallery |
35 | Bigot Storehouse |
36 | Stables |
- | Louisbourg Cross |
37 | Marie Marguerite Rose plaque |
- | Eastward along the Quay |
- | Ruins Walk |
- Date modified :