Windows at Glenaladale Estate get much-needed makeover
'They've not been messed with for a century so we want to be very cautious about that'
The windows at the Glenaladale Estate in Tracadie, P.E.I., are one of the historic house's many impressive features.
Most are original to the house, which was finished in 1884, and are in need of some TLC.
They're now getting it, from students and instructors in the heritage retrofit carpentry program at Holland College.
"The original glass from that time period and the way the windows were built was just extremely complex with layers and layers of the woodwork, which you just don't see today," said Aggi-Rose Reddin, vice-chair of the Glenaladale Heritage Trust Inc.
"There are other architectural features to them that are really special so we need to make sure that we can preserve them."
The Glenaladale Settlement in 1772 was one of the earliest Scottish emigrations to what would become Canada.
The current brick mansion was the private home of two families — the MacDonalds and the MacKinnons.
The Glenaladale Heritage Trust Inc. purchased the 523-acre estate in 2018 and has been working to restore it ever since.
"We had a meeting down there one evening and you could just — the draft coming across the table it was like where'd that come from," Reddin said.
"We looked up and discovered that the upper sash on that window had dropped down so the air was just blowing right in, so that's got to get fixed."
'Very cautious'
That window was one of the first ones tackled by the crew from Holland College, and it was not without some challenges.
"It's quite a cold windy day so the nature of this means we tear out windows and then it's quite breezy as you can tell in here, so quite cold," said Josh Silver, the learning manager for the heritage retrofit carpentry program.
Silver said taking down the windows and restoring them is also time-consuming.
"We want to repair this property and when we're done, we want it to look like we've never been here," Silver said.
"We want the trim to look beautiful, the plaster work, the glass all those things are fairly fragile. They've not been messed with for a century so we want to be very cautious about that."
Wear and tear
The sash windows, as they're called, have two iron weights per window that weigh exactly the same amount as the window themselves.
"They're kind of on a fulcrum," Silver said.
"So the window should be opened and closed with the ease of just using one finger if they're properly balanced."
Silver said the windows at Glenaladale were showing the wear and tear a century can bring.
"The problem with these sash cords is they're cotton, that was the original form that they were made with," Silver said.
"They get very brittle and often break and then the sashes fall down in the pockets and then the window's very heavy and cumbersome."
Once repaired, Silver said, the windows should be as efficient as a modern vinyl window, according to applied research that he and his students have done.
Lifetime of work
Silver and his class have what he calls a "lifetime of work" at Glenaladale.
"This is the great opportunity because this is a residence and it's still fully functional so that's fairly rare that we can get in here," Silver said.
"To have a working relationship with the folks that are looking after Glenaladale now is a huge advantage to us."
Reddin said the relationship with the college is also important to Glenaladale.
"Part of our vision from the get-go on the estate is that it be used as a training asset for both Holland College and UPEI," Reddin said.
"It would really complement the work that we are doing because our focus is on the heritage and tourism aspects, education though is really important."
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