England's Hollow

England’s Hollow is a municipal park that consists of an expanse of ground in the form of a ravine situated on Water Street on the southern shore of the Miramichi River.

England’s Hollow is designated a Local Historic Place for its association with the area’s historic shipbuilding industry. This site is the location of a former shipbuilding yard during the era of tall ship construction and early lumber trade at the Port of Miramichi. This place was named for Scottish immigrant Robert England, the first grant holder who settled here prior to 1785. Francis Peabody, known as the ‘Founder of Chatham’ established his shipyard here first and built five vessels here, including the ‘Peabody’, which burned during the Miramichi Fire of 1825 while anchored in the river. Over the next five decades this place would become synonymous with many of the affluent names associated with the construction of wooden mast ships. Shipbuilder Joseph Russell then acquired the place in 1832 and sold to Joseph Cunard in 1838. With Cunard’s financial failure in 1847, Johnston & Mackie took over the shipyard at a time of resurgence in demand for ships. This place is also valued for its association with the ‘Indian Queen’, sister ship to the ‘Marco Polo’ and proven to be as swift on the seas, constructed here in 1852 by Johnston & Mackie. During the 1860’s, J.C. Gough and G.J. Parker were later shipyard owners here. The era of barques, brigantines and schooners then came to a close, to be replaced by steamships by 1868.

This place is also valued for its association with the Maritime Sulphite Fibre Company, a pulp mill established adjacent to England’s Hollow. In 1898 the mill acquired the site to use as a water source for its mill in processing wood pulp. Its contoured landscape lent itself as a water holding facility.

In 1978, the former Town of Chatham, now part of the City of Miramichi, declared England’s Hollow a municipal park.

Source: City of Miramichi, Heritage Office, Beaverbrook House, Site File #08-99

The character-defining elements relating to the physical landscape of England’s Hollow include:

- natural depression in the land bordered by steep and gentle slopes;

- scope of the area comprising 3.68 ha.;

- gentle slope to river’s edge conducive to placement of ship’s ways;

- natural spring situated at head of ravine utilized as fresh water source;

- potential archaeological resources related to the various industries that have occupied the site.