Billy-Jack Kimmerly/Billy-Jack Kimmerly
The listing: 316 Colebrook Rd., Colebrook, Ont.
Asking Price: $2,150,000
Taxes: $12,145.78 (2022)
Lot Size: 2.76 acres
Agents: Gail Forcht and David Wilson, Chestnut Park Real Estate Ltd.
The backstory
In the 1800s, the waterfalls and rapids of Ontario’s Napanee River attracted mill owners who harnessed the river’s power for grinding wheat and cutting logs.
One such entrepreneur, Charles Warner, set up his sawmill operation on the rushing river and founded a hamlet around it. In 1855, Mr. Warner built a gracious limestone house on his large estate known as Warnerheim.
The surrounding land was eventually carved up, but the house at 316 Colebrook Rd. remained in the Warner family for more than 100 years until it was purchased in the late 1960s by Toronto-based interior designer Robert Meiklejohn and his wife, Phyllis.
The house north of Kingston, Ont., sits surrounded by mature maple and oak trees, limestone walkways and perennial gardens on just less than three acres.
Mr. Meiklejohn filled the house with fine antique furniture and his many collections.Billy-Jack Kimmerly/Billy-Jack Kimmerly
The Meiklejohn’s long tenure lasted nearly 60 years. During that time, the couple updated the historic dwelling and restored original details. In the 1980s, Mr. Meiklejohn told City & Country Home magazine that he admired the way Mr. Warner had built a house grand enough for the city despite its rural setting.
With the restoration of the original dwelling complete, the Meiklejohns felt the need for some additional space.
They learned that an antique drive shed was slated for demolition during work to widen the road north of Colebrook. Mr. Meiklejohn purchased the ramshackle structure and had it moved to the property. He also visited a salvage shop where he found a load of fir floorboards removed from a Kingston high school.
He used the posts and beams from the drive shed and the planks from the school to build an addition that would meet the couple’s need for modern comforts without compromising the original structure.
Over time, the designer expanded the interior of the home and filled it with fine antique furniture and his many collections. Ms. Meiklejohn was well-known in the area for making pies and preserves from the fruit and vegetables grown on the property.
In 2021 history enthusiasts Chris and Laura Campbell became the new curators of the property. The Campbells had gained experience renovating old homes in the nearby township of Cramahe before they transported their own collection of antiques to Colebrook.
Mr. Meiklejohn put a great deal of effort into preserving the original wood trims and casements.Billy-Jack Kimmerly/Billy-Jack Kimmerly
The house today
Their love of stone buildings and the tranquil setting drew the couple to Warnerheim, Mr. Campbell says.
They had been watching the property and considering a purchase for some time before they finally made the decision to move to the home with approximately 6,000 square feet of living space.
The original residence has two main-floor bedrooms with bathrooms. The antique staircase leads to three additional bedrooms and a bathroom on the second floor.
The stone work in the house is impressive, and Mr. Meiklejohn put a great deal of effort into preserving the original wood trims and casements, Mr. Campbell says.
“They’re all original. They are pristine.”
Fireplace mantels from the early 1800s also make a statement with their detailed woodwork, says Mr. Campbell.
The home’s more contemporary conveniences – including a kitchen and great room with enough space for large gatherings – are housed in the former drive shed.
The kitchen and two-storey great room are housed in the former drive shed.Billy-Jack Kimmerly/Billy-Jack Kimmerly
Doors open to a large outdoor terrace.
The extension also includes a sunroom and a library. The Campbells built on top of an existing deck to create a screened room that houses a hot tub.
A room that likely served as the original home’s summer kitchen is now an enclosed porch, he adds.
Mr. Campbell says one unusual characteristic of the house is that the basement is built on bedrock.
“The foundation is all built on that limestone. It will never go anywhere, that house.”
There’s also a carriage house with a two bay garage.
The Campbells say the remnants of the old mill’s foundation still sit across the road, above the river’s waterfall and rapids. A bridge over the river is a gathering spot for children in the area.
“The kids jump off the bridge all summer long.”
The area provides lots of opportunities for boating and hiking and other outdoor activities. The Cataraqui Trail, a 104-kilometre stretch of a former railway, is located nearby.
Colebrook is a small community with easy access to the larger towns of Napanee and Kingston.
“It’s a quaint little town,” Mr. Campbell says. “You have to really slow down to get through it.”
The antique staircase leads to three additional bedrooms and a bathroom on the second floor.Billy-Jack Kimmerly/Billy-Jack Kimmerly
The best feature
The post-and-beam drive shed, which once protected farm equipment from the elements, was rescued from nearby Moscow, Ont., by Mr. Meiklejohn. He had it reconstructed to create the home’s two-storey great room. There’s also a modern kitchen and dining area.
The two-inch thick boards reclaimed from the old school building make a solid floor, Mr. Campbell says.
“You could pretty much drive a car in that great room and it wouldn’t move.”
Billy-Jack Kimmerly/Billy-Jack Kimmerly
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