Design destination: Annapolis Royal

Built in 1708, the deGannes-Cosby House is the oldest documented wooden structure in Nova Scotia.

As colonial capital before the founding of Halifax, as a centre of early European colonization in North America, as a pivotal player in the struggle for empire between the English and the French, and as a bustling Victorian port of trade and commerce, Annapolis Royal is a magnet for lovers of architecture.

Runciman House on Upper St. George Street in Annapolis Royal

Virtually across the street from the deGannes-Cosby House is a beautiful example from the Regency era. Built in 1817 by Reverend John Millidge, rector of Saint Luke's, is was purchased by the Runciman family which called it home for over one hundred and fifty years.

The Queen Anne Inn, on Upper St. George Street.

Following the Regency Period, the Victorian era saw distinctive buildings appear in the Town. Completed in 1869, this Second Empire beauty---sometimes called the Napoleon III style---was a boarding house, St. Andrew's School, later the Queen Hotel, and is now a fashionable country inn. With it's characteristic mansard roof, this style was in vogue in the latter half of the 1800s

Find this interactive map here.

This self-guided tour to the eclectic architecture of Nova Scotia's first colonial capital was created by local volunteers.