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Woodchester Villa to be closed for season
By Andrew Hind
Woodchester Villa, the Bracebridge
museum renowned for its unique octagonal
shape, will be closed for at least a year
while vital structural repairs are made.
Built in 1882 by Henry J. Bird and
named after his birthplace in England,
Woodchester Villa reflects the businessman’s
wealth and prestige. His woollen
mill, the first in Muskoka, was established
alongside the falls in Bracebridge
and proved remarkably successful, providing
one of the industrial pillars of the
growing town.
Today, Woodchester Villa is one of
only a handful of octagonal buildings left
anywhere in Ontario. An asset of the
Town of Bracebridge, it has been a museum
since the 1970s, and for the past few
years has been operated and managed by
Muskoka Arts and Crafts on behalf of the
Town of Bracebridge.
“Woodchester Villa is an important
asset for the town in terms of tourism
and, even more importantly, in terms of
heritage,” says John Sisson, chief administrative
officer for the Town of Bracebridge.
“It’s an incredibly significant
building, not just because of its heritage
designation but because of what it represents
to Bracebridge in terms of our history
and our town’s overall development.”
Woodchester Villa sustained structural
damage during the snowstorm of Dec. 11,
2009. The upper verandah of the building
collapsed under the weight of the snowfall.
As it collapsed, a section of the verandah
broke through a porch window.
“In addition to the collapsed porch
there are other structural issues that we
believe need to be addressed at this time,”
explains Sisson. “We’re going through the
analysis of that right now, and are in the
process of getting bid information from
contractors.”
While it’s early in the process, Sisson
anticipates the restoration will take more
than one year to complete, meaning that
Woodchester Villa may not be open in
time for its traditional Victoria Day opening
in 2011.
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www.whatsupmuskoka.com May 2010 21