The last stop of our 14 day road trip out to the East Coast and back was in
Brockville, Ontario. It was thanks to the recommendation of our friend Paula that we chose this as our final adventure on this vacation. She told us about the
Brockville Railway Tunnel which runs for half a kilometre underground in the downtown core from Brock Street (North Entrance) to the top of Blockhouse Island (South Entrance), passing underneath the Brockville City Hall. It is the oldest railway tunnel in Canada as construction of the tunnel began in 1854 and the first train passed through at the end of 1860. It has been a tourist attraction since 2017.
As we walked through the tunnel, rotating LED lights made the walls glow in psychedelic colours of red, blue, green and purple while music blared. Entering from the South Portal at Water Street and walking towards the other end, we were presented with informational signs that explained what was happening in different parts of the tunnel. We saw the ventilation shafts that allowed the smoke and steam from the steam locomotives to be expelled out into the exterior.
In 1863, the
City Hall was built above the tunnel and the ventilation shafts were integrated with two stone chimneys jutting from the sides of the roof. During the renovations of the tunnel, one of the chimneys had an electric fan installed that helps circulate fresh air in the tunnel. Further along, we saw examples of mineral formations that resulted from groundwater seeping through the limestone and sandstone walls to create calcite, dolomite and stalactites. Traces of iron appear as orange and red streaks while nickel and copper are blue and green. As we approached the North Portal at Brock Street, we saw the large extraction shaft that was used as an access portal during blasting operations to remove blasted rock and bring in construction materials, supplies and workers. Ground water was also pumped out from this hole. For those who don’t want to walk, you can buy a ticket for a train ride through the tunnel, offered by the Aquatarium.
Wandering around downtown Brockville, we were so impressed by the beautiful
architecture and ornate features found in private homes, storefronts and the churches including the First Baptist Church which has gorgeous multi-coloured hexagon tiles on its roof and steeple. I loved all the turrets, towers, widow’s walks and gingerbread trim as well as the large porches on some of the mansions. Brockville must have been a wealthy community back in the day, and luckily many of these historic buildings are still standing. On top of the Brockville Courthouse is a sculpture of Lady Justice holding her sword and scales, although she is not blindfolded.
Brockville has a pretty waterfront with boats docked in the marina, outdoor cafes and sculptures. It is part of the
Brock Trail, a 7km walking and cycling trail that traverses through Brockville with historical plaques conveying points or facts of interest. One plaque explained how the St. Lawrence River is named after Saint Lawrence the Martyr, who was executed by the Roman Emperor for presenting the poor and weak as the “treasures” of the Church instead of items of material wealth. On Blockhouse Island, which is more of a peninsula that juts out into Blockhouse Harbour, you get nice views of the downtown Brockville on one side and New York State on the other side of the St. Lawrence River. Depicting two women back to back with their arms raised in the air to hold a pair of doves, the
Women’s Memorial promotes peace, love and anti-violence towards women. Near the far edge of the “island” is an
F-86 fighter jet, flown by the RCAF Golden Hawks Aerobatic Flight Team between 1959-1963. The bronze sculpture of a clown holding an umbrella and pushing a baby carriage is dedicated to a local legend named
Con Darling (1926-1993) who entertained children at many Santa Claus parades and participated in telethons to raise money for Brockville. An inscription next to the sculpture reads “Ambassador of Smiles, dedicated his life to the betterment of humanity”.
We ended our day in Brockville with a late lunch at
Cosies Tea Room, a family-owned British tea room that offers traditional English breakfasts (eggs, bacon, sausage, potato, fried tomato and mushroom), hearty lunch classics including sandwiches and Cornish pasties (a folded savoury pastry stuffed with meats and vegetables), and tea service including scones. The tea room is quaintly decorated with teapots and teacups, patterned table cloths and napkins, vintage chairs, cups and saucers, knitted tea cosies and a high-tea stand containing the cutest knitted scones and desserts.
From their extensive menu of both hot and iced teas (caffeinated and decaf), Rich chose a hot pot of Yorkshire Gold Orange Pekoe tea which came in a teapot covered with a sweet blue and green tea cosy adorned with crocheted flowers. Being a hot day, I chose a Summer Fruits iced tea. Rich, Yim and I selected the Coronation Chicken sandwich consisting of chicken pieces tossed in a coronation sauce (mayo, curry, cinnamon, dried fruit, spices), served inside homemade bread, with a side of potato chips while Murray had the roast beef sandwich with mayo, lettuce and tomato. For dessert we wanted the full experience of scones with homemade jam and clotted cream. Had we been there earlier in the day, the selections included blueberry lemon, raspberry white chocolate, salted caramel, cranberry orange. We got there near closing time and almost all the scones were gone. We snagged the last two strawberry and vanilla scones and felt mildly guilty that the unfortunate couple who arrived just after us were left to share the one remaining plain scone.
This was a great ending to our 1
4-day road trip out to Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island and back again along the St. Lawrence River. We saw so many beautiful sights and had so many interesting experiences along the way. This was the first extended road trip in Rich’s new car and its smooth, comfortable ride made the journey all the more pleasant.
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