Built in June of 1975, remodelled and enlarged in
1990, this is the most used library in the province. In its stacks are about
85,000 adult and juvenile books (including an extensive large print
collection), more than 140 newspapers and magazines (both national and
international), 11,000 cassette tapes, 3,000 compact discs, 1,200 videos, and a
reference collection. The children's room schedules regular programs for
different age groups, and special lectures or events are often held in the
adult area.
The main library is open - Monday, Tuesday,
Thursday, & Saturday 10 am - 5 pm; Wednesday & Friday 10 am - 9 pm.
Closed Sundays. (Closed Saturday - July & August). Tel: 506 458-8154, Fax:
506 450-6167
Up from
the Library at the corner of Queen and Carleton Streets, is the John Thurston
Clark Memorial Building. Built originally as Fredericton's Post Office and
Customs House, this building is of note both architecturally (19th century
influence of Second Empire French revival style) and historically (1ocated
within the original British Military Compound). The Post Office and Customs
House was opened to the public on April 30, 1881, and was considered to be a
building "equal to any in the Dominion," indicative that the citizens of
Fredericton were "not forgotten by those high in authority". Step inside the
large wooden entrance doors to find the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame.
The New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame with two floors of
displays, features both permanent and temporary exhibits celebrating this
province's rich and exciting sports heritage. Memorabilia, photographs,
equipment, and uniforms of famous New Brunswick sports figures and those who
have been admitted to the Sports Hall of Fame are on display. The collection of
original charcoal portraits of the inductees, done by Fredericton artist
Marjory Donaldson and Gagetown, NB artist Alex McGibbon, is the largest of its
kind in Canada.
Special exhibits are curated during the
year to coincide with noteworthy events including the annual induction ceremony
held in June. Group tours (English or French) arranged by appointment.
Admission fees: $3.00 per person,
$2.00 per youth (18 years or under) and $8.00 per family.
Tel: 506
453-3747.
Hours vary by season; please call or visit our website for up-to-date information. www.nbsportshalloffame.nb.ca
From the NB Sports Hall of Fame, walk across
Queen and up Carleton to Wilmot United Church located next to King
Street.
A group of Loyalist men and women formed the
Fredericton Methodist Society in 1791, the year of John Wesley's death. Theirs
was the second church in Fredericton and one of the first Methodist Churches in
Canada. It soon became the mother church in a circuit which included
Kingsclear, Nashwaaksis, Gibson, Marysville, Taymouth, Oromocto, Sheffield, and
Grand Lake.
The congregation outgrew one chapel, lost
another by fire, and built the church that stands today in 1852 - at the height
of the shipbuilding era. Matthew Stead, the English architect, made full use of
native wood and local craftsmen (most of the interior decoration is hand
carved). The result was a structure to seat nearly 1200 to rival the
yet-to-be-built Christ Church Cathedral, just as the Methodist dissenters
rivalled the established Church of England. It is one of the oldest buildings
in regular use in the city, and the last of the great wooden churches which
dominated the skyline of nineteenth century
Fredericton.
In 1925, the Fredericton Methodist Church
entered the United Church of Canada and adopted the name "Wilmot" in honour of
its leading layman, Lemuel Allen Wilmot, the first Lieutenant Governor of N.B.
who was born in N.B.
During the summer, guided tours are
available weekdays. Check at the Carleton Street parking lot door. Tel: 506
458-1066
From Wilmot United Church, return to Queen
Street and walk one block to the York Sunbury Historical Museum. The museum is
housed in the former Officers Quarters, home for many British Regiments who
were garrisoned here during the Colonial period in Fredericton between 1784 and
1869. The museum tells the history of Fredericton and it's surrounding area.
Permanent exhibits deal with the First Nations, Civic and Military events that
shaped this Capital City . This is the home of the world famous 43 lb. Coleman
Frog. Is it real or is it fake, find out for yourself.
Hours April Through December
Open: Tues through Saturday 1 to 4
Summer Hours Mid June through Labour
Day Open Everyday 10 to 5
Admission Adults $2 Students $1 Children under 6
free
Group Tours available by request::
Phone (506) 455-6041
Fax:
(506) 458-8741
e-mail: yorksun@nbnet.nb.ca
Directly in front of the
museum sits Officer's Square, one of the city's most beautiful and historic
areas. A centre of military activity when Fredericton was garrisoned by the
British Army from 1785 to 1869, and by the Canadian Army from 1883 to 1914
-today it is the site of Fredericton Tourism's Summer Music Series, the
Changing of the Guard ceremony and Outdoor Theatre.
The Military
Compound officers' Quarters building, with its stone arches, iron handrails and
staircase (typical of the architecture of the Royal Engineers in the Colonial
Period) faces the old Parade Square.
The older part,
toward the river, was built between 1839 and 1840, and has much thicker solid
masonry walls than the Queen St. end, which was built around 1851. The earlier
end has handhewn timbers, while those of the Queen St. end are sawn, suggesting
that a sawmill was established in the Fredericton area sometime between 1839
and 1851.
Fredericton was honoured to be chosen for the
establishment of the first infantry unit of the Canadian Permanent Force in
1883. 'A' Company of the Infantry School Corps, raised in Fredericton on
December 21, 1883-and other companies raised elsewhere - became The Royal
Canadian Regiment, Canada's oldest regular infantry regiment.
A bronze statue of Lord
Beaverbrook, New Brunswick's great benefactor, is at the centre of Officers'
Square. Unveiled Aug.28, 1957, and viewed by him in his own lifetime, it was
erected through the generous contributions of the children of the province.
A magnificent view of Fredericton tops 15 levels
of stories, displays, children's play areas and a gift shop at the lighthouse
museum.
Admission to the ground level gift shop is free.
Admission to the upper levels: Adults: $2, Children: $1 plus GST.
May, June & Sept - Daily l0am -
4pm
Sat.& Sun. - l2pm - 4pm
July & Aug Daily lOam - 9 pm.
For more information call 506 459-2515.
The Regent Street
Wharf and Mooring Facility offers a variety of services to visitors arriving in
the capital by pleasure craft. These include a security gate, electrical
hook-up, water and a port warden and are available from June to September. For
information, contact Downtown Development Fredericton at 506 458-
8922.
For visitors who wish to experience the beauty of
the St. John River afloat, boat rentals and cruises are available. For
information, contact Fredericton Tourism, 506 452-9616.
A 5 km
river front pathway along The Green passes behind the Beaverbrook Art Gallery.
As beautiful and tranquil as a park, it begins at the Sheraton Inn Fredericton,
stretches to the Princess Margaret Bridge and boasts a spectacular view. Relax
on one of the many benches, brush up on your history with the help of several
historic photographs, or take the fast lane to fitness. You can even book a
river cruise.
You'll meet Robbie Bums on The Green near
the art gallery. A fine statue of this famous Scottish poet was erected in 1906
by the Fredericton Society of St. Andrew, in cooperation with other Scottish
societies in the province.
Nearby is a marble fountain
imported from the gardens of Stowe House in Buckinghamshire, England. It was
placed on The Green by Lord Beaverbrook in memory of his friend Sir James
Dunn.
In October 1996, the river front walkway was named
"Limpert Lane" in honor of Fredericton Olympic Silver Medallist Marianne
Limpert. Marianne won her silver medal swimming the 200 m Medley at the 1996
Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
From the corner of Regent continue down Queen
past the Federal Building to the County Courthouse. Built in 1855, it served
both as a Courthouse (upstairs) and a Market (downstairs). In 1882 the first
floor was rebuilt to provide space for county offices and records. In 1956, it
was extensively renovated and modernized.
Today, the
building houses branches of the Departments of Justice and Solicitor General
and a large court room for major trials or hearings.
Tours unavailable.
The Playhouse was given to the people of New
Brunswick in 1964 by publishing baron Lord Beaverbrook. Raised on the
Miramichi, he made his fortune and reputation in the British newspaper
industry.
The Playhouse operated mainly as a roadhouse for
its first four years, but in 1969 gave birth to Theatre New Brunswick, the
province's only professional English-speaking theatre company. Resident at the
Playhouse, TNB tours mainstage and Young Company shows around the province.
Responding to the need for greater flexibility as the home of a theatre company
and a rental house, in 1971 the Beaverbrook Foundation agreed to a $2 million
renovation that added a flytower; raked the main floor to improve audience
sightlines; and improved the quality of seating, lighting and sound equipment,
workshop and wardrobe facilities, dressing rooms and
box-office.
The Playhouse serves community needs and
continues to house touring shows, ranging from ballet to concert performances
and conferences, as well as being home base of Theatre New Brunswick. Rental
inquiries should be directed to the rentals coordinator at 506
458-8345.
From the
Playhouse, cross St. John and I continue down Queen. On your right is the
majestic Provincial Legislative Assembly Building, the seat of government in
New Brunswick since 1882, when it replaced old Provincial Hall destroyed by
fire in 1880.
To the right of the front walkway is a small
birch tree bearing a plaque that reads: To mark the wedding of His Royal
Highness The Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer, July 29,1981, this tree
was planted by the Speaker of the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, Hon.
James N. Tucker, MLA.
A large oak, planted in 1900 by
the lODE (Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire), in observance of the 1st
Empire Day (now Victoria Day), was blown down in 1988. A red oak, planted in
1989, replaces it.
The main legislature entrance opens
into a vestibule and hallway hung with portraits of former
Lieutenant-Governors. Beyond is a large spiral
staircase.
One of the most impressive elements of the
Assembly Chamber is the Throne or Speaker's Chair, set on a dais under a canopy
bearing a carving of the Royal Coat-of-Arms. It serves as a Throne only when
the Lieutenant-Governor enters the Chamber. During legislative sessions it is
the Speaker's Chair and is occupied by a member elected by the other members to
preside over the assembly.
The Throne and the Clerk's
original marble-top desk were rescued from the fire that destroyed Province
Hall.
The newly renovated Chamber reflects the taste of
the late Victorians. The wallpaper is Japanesque; the oriental - style carpet,
commissioned in England, is in traditional green; and the chandeliers are made
of brass with Waterford prisms.
The Legislative Library
contains about 33,000 books. A volume from its complete set of 435
hand-coloured copper engravings of the Birds of America by John James Audubon
is on permanent display.
When the
Legislature is not in session, you may visit the Assembly Chamber and take
photographs. Guides are on duty.
When the Legislature is
in session, visitors are requested to come in conventional dress. You may sit
in the public gallery, but are not permitted to participate in any way in the
proceedings of the House, and you are particularly forbidden to applaud. The
use of cameras and the reading of books or newspapers are not permitted in the
Gallery. Group tours may be arranged.
June 2 - September 1, Weekdays
9am - 6 pm, Weekends 10 am - 5 pm
(Tours every 1/2 hr. beginning at 9:15 am
weekdays, 10:15 weekends).
September 2 - May 30
Mon. -
Fri. 9 am-4 pm Tel: 506 453-2527
On the Legislature
lawn is a cairn displaying four Historic Sites and Monuments Board plaques. One
pays tribute to W. F. Roberts, M.D., responsible for creating the first
Ministry of Health in the British Empire. He became its first minister in 1918.
Another honours Sir Howard Douglas, Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief
of New Brunswick who founded King's College, now the University of New
Brunswick, in 1828. The third recognizes Lemuel Allen Wilmot, a strong
political figure who served as Attorney General, who was appointed to the
Supreme Court and then appointed Lieutenant Governor for New Brunswick. The
fourth plaque commemorates Charles Fisher, a Fredericton lawyer and Father of
Confederation who became premier and attorney general. He also served in the
House of Commons and as a judge of the Supreme Court of New
Brunswick.
Next to the Legislature is a modest stone
building, the ground floor of which was built in 1816 as an office for the
Provincial Secretary. The upper floors were added in 1869. It is the oldest
surviving public building in Fredericton and houses offices relating to the
Legislative Assembly.
