'This is a treasure': Historic Bedford Highway rotunda a target for vandals

Vandals defacing Prince's Lodge Iconic Halifax structure needs better protection, say heritage advocates. Bruce Frisko reports.

HALIFAX — An iconic structure built by Queen Victoria’s father is a familiar roadside attraction for people who travel along Halifax’s Bedford Highway.

The Prince’s Lodge rotunda, or music room, is all that remains of the former estate of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, who lived there from 1794-1800 while serving as commander-in-chief of his father King George III’s forces in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

“Just a lovely area,” says Bedford resident Andrea Cross. “There’s a beautiful park on the street. It’s gorgeous, you can see the heart-shaped pond.”

Now, people who live in the area say the Prince’s Lodge isn’t getting the royal treatment. Neighbours say, in recent years, it has been damaged by vandals, and without additional security, they fear the famous building could be lost.

Windows have been smashed out, doors pried open, and a set of stairs was dumped over a nearby cliff -- all of it deeply upsetting for local history buffs like William Breckenridge.

“You realize this is a treasure and we have to do everything we can to preserve it for the future,” says Breckenridge, a director for the Halifax Military Heritage Preservation Society.

Officials from the province say they are aware of the problem, and plan on increasing motion sensitive lighting and cameras at the site. They also encourage anyone who sees anything suspicious in the area to report it to police.

A local author who’s documented the history of the neighbourhood says the COVID-19 pandemic has led to more people exploring sites they’ve never visited before, including the rotunda, which was never supposed to be a destination.

“It wasn’t built to be a place to go, it’s a decorative garden building,” says local author Sharon Ingalls.

A sentinel on the shore of the Bedford Basin, now needing someone to watch over it.