Nova Scotia National Historic Site #11: Fernwood

Fernwood Manor (above) is one of two houses, owned by brothers, that were the first houses along the Northwest Arm. Fernwood Manor and its sibling house are part of a Gothic revival neighbourhood near Point Pleasant Park in a southern suburb of peninsular Halifax. It's also a private, gated neighbourhood - which makes it really hard to photograph - nor is it well promoted either. I couldn't find any information about it on the Internweb, and even a local who questioned me on why I was taking pictures of private homes on private property didn't know that they were part of a neighbourhood that was a National Historic Site. Of course, after I mentioned I was a photographer for Ea-pea Dave's Terra Nova he was helpful and informed me about the brothers and bit about the Northwest Arm. But still....

(Note: if the picture seems a bit odd, it's because I was shooting directly into the sun, and tried to mend it afterwards on my computer with my limited retouching skills. Trust me, it's a lot better than it was.)

Shakespeare by the Sea: July 2 - September 5, 2010

(This R. Staines engraving of Malvolio's famous attempt to court his mistress Olivia in yellow, cross-gartered stockings, was obviously not produced by myself. Yet, as it was originally made in 1859 and is now over 100 years old, it belongs to the public domain.)

There are many Shakespeare festivals around the world, which often go by fancy names like Bard on the Beach or even Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan. One of the most recognizable Shakespeare festival names though is Shakespeare by the Sea. Four theatre companies - one each in Los Angeles, California, Sydney, Australia, St. John's Newfoundland, and Halifax, Nova Scotia - share the name Shakespeare by the Sea.

The Shakespeare by the Sea Theatre Company in Halifax was formed in 1994, after poorly advertised, volunteer performances of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night in Point Pleasant Park drew 2 500 people in one weekend . The company officially formed later that year, and has returned every summer since for nightly performances of Shakespearean classics, as well as the additional well-known, non-Shakespearean play.

This year, the festival's seventeenth, the company will perform a version of R.L. Stevenson's Treasure Island, as well as Shakespeare's own Julius Caesar, and Twelfth Night again. On the night I attended, the play being performed was Twelfth Night.

In Twelfth Night, a brother and sister, similar in appearance, are separated after their ship is destroyed. The sister, Viola, thinking her brother dead, plans to gain the favour of a Duke by pretending to be a man and becoming his favourite servant, but later falls in love with him. The Duke, however, loves a wealthy woman, Olivia, who has scorned the advances of all men to date, including those of the Duke.

The Duke sends his new young confidante, Viola who has passed herself off as Cesario - the "not yet a man, but also not a boy" - to Olivia, to win her love for him with her/his gift for eloquent speech. Olivia falls in love with Cesario, who obviously does not welcome the advances of Olivia, but must continue to go see her at the orders of her master, the Duke, whose love she hopes to win even though he thinks she's a man. The hilarity multiplies when Viola's nearly identical brother, Sebastian, whose image, as Cesario, she has copied, coincidentally manages to wash up in the same town, also thinking his sibling to be dead.

HRM Monument #20: Halifax Memorial

Dedicated on November 11, 1967, the Halifax Memorial stands in memory of the men and women of the Navy, Army, and Merchant Navy who lost their lives and have unknown graves. On the panels around its base, are written the names of 274 casualties of the First World War, and another 2847 casualties from the Second World War. The monument is located in Point Pleasant Park.

HRM Point of Interest #10: Point Pleasant Park

The largest forested park on the Halifax peninsula, Point Pleasant Park is home to the annual Shakespeare by the Sea festival, and was once part of the strategic defence system that kept Halifax safe from attack during four different wars. The park is home to two National Historic Sites, the Prince of Wales Martello Tower, and the Atlantic Bulwark Coastal Defence Fortress. It is also one of my favourite places in Halifax.

(Based on the Gatehouse at Hughenden Manor, in Buckinghamshire, UK, the lodge at Point Pleasant Park was built in the 1800s to house the park superintendent.)

(Built in 1868, the Cambridge Battery was named in honour of the Duke of Cambridge, who was head of the military during the reign of Queen Victoria. It was abandoned though, by the start of WWI.)

(One of two lovely summerhouses built at Point Pleasant Park in 1882, at the bequest of Halifax business man, Walter West.)

(Stunning views of the Northwest Arm and the Atlantic Ocean are the norm at Point Pleasant Park, rather than the exception.)

HRM Monument #15: Canadian Peacetime Sailors Memorial (Bonaventure Anchor)

The anchor in the Canadian Peacetime Sailors Monument came from the HMCS Bonaventure, a Royal Canadian Navy aircraft carrier from 1957 to 1970 and Canada's last ever aircraft carrier. It was turned in to a monument in 1973, and dedicated by Rear Admiral Robert Timbrell, "To commemorate the personnel of the Armed Forces of Canada who lost their lives at sea in the performance of their duties and for whom there is no known grave." It is currently located in Point Pleasant Park.