NEW EPISODE: THE ROTUNDA
January 29, 2012Hello! I have made another episode of Halifax Landscape HD available for viewing. This video is the follow-up to Episode 33 (Hemlock Ravine Park).
The Rotunda (or The Music Room) is the only surviving structure of the Prince’s Lodge estate. It’s designed and built by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (Queen Victoria’s father). Prince Edward had a fascination with round buildings. St. George’s Round Church in Halifax is another example of his fondness with the round design. The Rotunda sits above the shoreline of the Bedford Basin. The environs gives us a glimpse of the Duke of Kent’s romantic side with his mistress, Julie St. Laurent during his stay in Halifax. The grounds of the Rotunda were used for outdoor musical performances organized by the Duke.
The Duke of Kent left Halifax around 1800. Prince’s Lodge fell into disrepair much later in the later 1800s. The railway tracks separated the Music Room from the rest of the Prince’s Lodge grounds.
The Rotunda stands to this day and is maintained by the City of Halifax.
