Archive for January 2019

In 2003, a large group of young people from the nearby Canada Youth Conference (CY03) installed an outdoor amphitheatre in the green space between the Dove House and the House of the Prophet. This large open area has a wooden platform, log benches and a large cross anchored in a decades-old stone pile. Located in…

There is an extensive network of hiking trails at Crieff Hills that wind their way through pine and hardwood forest. Short, contemplative paths are located around the main buildings. The orange and red trails are quite extensive, leading to the edges of the property, and can take over an hour to hike. Purple, yellow and…

There are three different shelters on the Crieff Hills property. The first is located beyond the Dove House in a now wooded area. The first was built in 1973 by Louie Maier Ltd. and volunteers from St. Andrew’s PC, Hespeler. This square wooden cabin was created in order to host local church and Presbytery day…

With the help of the architectural firm Brown, Beck & Ross, a family home for the director was created in the late 1970’s. The frame house, built into the side of a hill, allowed for a walk-out basement which became the first Crieff Hills office. Wavy cedar siding was used to cover the outside of…

In 1940 Col. Maclean commissioned a stone cottage to be built for the herdsman who cared for his animals, including cattle, sheep, chickens and horses. It made from local stones and during its construction, a limekiln was made on the site to produce the mortar for construction. Remnants of the kiln can still be seen…

Just behind the House of the Dove is a small stone building. It was originally a milk house, located near the barn, and provided a cool storage area for the milk and cream waiting to be taken to the local dairy. Some time after the Dove sisters had moved out of the house, it was…

Originally purchased in 1833 by John McDiarmid and his wife Margaret (Stewart), this part of the property was heavily forested at one time. Once it was cleared for farmland, a log cabin was built and remained there until 1864 when it was replaced by the present stone house. The original laneway went east to the…

In 2010 a new building was added to the site in order to provide personal retreat space. Overlooking a field in one direction and a forested ravine on the other, the location was chosen for its natural setting and privacy. It has five self-contained one-bedroom suites and one two-bedroom suite, along with an additional common…

Originally this eight sided house was built in Kitchener to serve as a temporary condominium sales office.  When it was no longer useful, it was offered to Crieff Hills. In the fall of 1992 the maintenance team and volunteers dismantled, transported and reassembled the house on a new concrete foundation, where a back deck and…

Not long after the Thompson family moved to Crieff, they deeded a small section of their land for the purpose of a school. The first log building was small and poorly heated and was later replaced by a cottage-style frame school. In 1874 the current schoolhouse was constructed by stone mason Mr. Ritchie and his…