National Historic Site of Canada

Merrickville Blockhouse National Historic Site of Canada

Merrickville-Wolford, Ontario

Also known as Merrickville Blockhouse, Blockhaus-de-Merrickville

Corner view of the Merrickville Blockhouse, also showing vestiges of former defensive ditch around the building, 2004.

Corner view of the Merrickville Blockhouse, also showing vestiges of former defensive ditch around the building, 2004.

Photo: Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, 2004.

Built
1832–1833
Recognized
1939
By
Government of Canada

The register’s text, word for word

Description

Merrickville Blockhouse is a two-storey, masonry and timber defensive structure located on the banks of the Rideau Canal in the town of Merrickville Ontario.

Heritage value

Merrickville Blockhouse was designated a National Historic Site because it was considered a fine example of the best type of blockhouses erected for the defence of the Rideau Canal about 1832.

Its heritage value lies in its illustration of relatively large, 19th-century British designed blockhouse. Built in 1832-33, it is associated with the construction of the Rideau Canal waterway and the defence of Canada.

SourceHSMBC Minutes, May 1939, 1967; Commemorative Integrity Statement.

Character‑defining elements

  • the blocky massing,
  • its large size relative to other defensible structures along the canal,
  • the tripartite design with a squat lower storey, overhanging upper storey, and steep hipped roof,
  • the symmetrical design with central door and regular window openings,
  • the functional design as a defensive structure with sparse door and window openings and plentiful gun slits,
  • the fire resistant design with thick, vented stone walls on the basement and first storey,
  • remaining original fabric in the lower storey,
  • evidence of designed self-sufficiency, particularly related to the sub-division of space into provision storage, armament storage and barrack areas,
  • vestiges of former defensive ditch around the building,
  • the spacial relationship to the Merrickville Lockstation, particularly in the land-use allocation and circulation patterns,
  • siting at the Merrickville Lockstation, with an unobstructed view up and down the Rideau waterway and down the Prescott and Brockville Roads.

End of the register’s text

Location

279 Saint Lawrence Street, Merrickville-Wolford, Ontario, K0G, Canada

44.91679° N, 75.83746° W

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Nearby

All 3 places in Merrickville-Wolford

Similar places

Places whose register descriptions are closest to this one.

From the Canadian Register of Historic Places, as last updated on December 12, 2025. The register’s text is shown word for word.