HMCS Stone Frigate, Royal Military College of Canada
Memorial Stained Glass window, Royal Military College of Canada features HMCS Stone frigate
The Stone Frigate, originally a storehouse at the Kingston Royal Naval Dockyard, Point Frederick Peninsula, now called 'The Stone Frigate' and located at Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario, was designed by Archibald Fraser in 1819-24.[1] It was constructed by Captain Robert Barrie to store gear and rigging of the British fleet from the War of 1812 which had been dismantled and housed in Navy Bay pursuant to the Rush-Bagot Treaty of 1817.[2] Closed in 1835, the dockyard reopened in 1837 in response to rebellions in the Canadas. Captain Williams Sandom and a party of sailors resided in the Stone Frigate warehouse close to the St. Lawrence pier in Navy Bay. By the 1860s, only the Stone Frigate storehouse and one wharf were kept in repair.[3] The former warehouse was converted into a dormitory and classrooms when the college was established in 1876.[4][5]
stained glass spider window, in the Stone Frigate, 1 Squadron, Royal Military College of Canada
In 1941, the Royal Military College of Canada cadets were housed in the Stone Frigate while student officers taking Canadian junior war staff courses, field security courses and radio technician's courses were quartered in Fort Frederick (Kingston, Ontario).[6] Known within Royal Military College of Canada as "The Boat", the Stone Frigate houses 1 Squadron, who in turn call themselves the Stone Frigate Military Academy. Renovations to the Stone Frigate began in the summer of 2003; some interior refinishing had taken place in the mid-1960s, however the overall interior condition of the building was poor. Interior stone walls were restored and cleaned and new structural supports and interior walls were constructed. Windows, doors, and mechanical and electrical services were installed and an annex extension was built. The Department of National Defence officially re-opened the renovated Stone Frigate building in early April 2004. The Stone Frigate is on the Registry of Historic Places of Canada.[7]
A plaque erected in 1957 describes the Stone Frigate "Once part of a large and active naval dockyard, this substantial stone building was erected as a warehouse for naval stores. Although initially planned in 1816, it was not completed until four years later when the need for storage facilities to hold gear and rigging from British warships dismantled in compliance with the Rush-Bagot Agreement had become acute. After the Rebellion of 1837 the building briefly functioned as a barracks for the naval detachment charged with patrolling the lakes. It was then apparently used as a storehouse again. By 1876 the structure, now known as the Stone Frigate, had been refitted to house the newly-established Royal Military College of Canada, an institution it continues to serve." [8] Pipe Major Donald M. Carrigan composed the `Stone Frigate` Reel in honour of the Stone Frigate at the Royal Military College of Canada c. 1983.[9]
Citations[]
- ↑ http://www.dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org/architects/view/1349 Biographic Dictionary of Architects in Canada 1800-1950 Andrew Taylor (Architect)
- ↑ Gilbert Collins Guidebook to the Historic Sites of the War of 1812 p. 201
- ↑ Preston `Canada`s RMC: A History of the Royal Military College` (University of Toronto Press, Toronto, 1969)
- ↑ The Stone Frigate, 1914 by Royal Military College of Canada. Published in 1997, British Whig (Kingston, Ont)
- ↑ Stone Frigate Ontario Plaque http://www.ontarioplaques.com/Plaques_DEF/Plaque_Frontenac18.html
- ↑ Preston 'Canada's RMC: A History of the Royal Military College' (University of Toronto Press, Toronto, 1969)
- ↑ http://www.historicplaces.ca/visit-visite/affichage-display.aspx?id=4388 Stone Frigate Registry of Historic Places of Canada
- ↑ http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/nic-inm/sm-rm/mdsr-rdr-eng.asp?PID=4596 Stone Frigate plaque
- ↑ Archie Cairns - Bk1 Pipe Music 'Stone Frigate (1983)' Reel 1995
External links[]
- Ontario Heritage Trust The Stone Frigate: This large stone building, completed in 1820, was designed to hold gear and rigging from British warships dismantled in compliance with the Rush-Bagot Agreement. It served as a barracks briefly in 1837-38, and by 1876 had been refitted to house the Royal Military College of Canada.[dead link]
Coordinates: 44°13′46″N 76°28′00″W / 44.2295°N 76.4666°W
The original article can be found at HMCS Stone Frigate and the edit history here.