Description of Historic Place

The Wooldridge Quarry is a former sandstone quarry located outside of the original boundaries of the City of Charlottetown on the Mount Edward Road in the area known as the Charlottetown Royalty. Although it is no longer actively mined, the excavation site is still visible. The designation encompasses the boundaries of the property.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the former Wooldridge Quarry lies in its role as one of a few quarries in the Charlottetown area that supplied stone for a number of early buildings and roads.

The stone quarry and a nearby cottage owned by James Wooldridge appears on the 1880 J.H. Meacham & Co. Illustrated Historical Atlas of Prince Edward Island. It is not clear when it was first mined, but it does not appear on the 1863 Lake Map, leading one to believe that it was at some point within the seventeen year period between the publishing of the maps that it became active.

A number of buildings and roads in the City of Charlottetown were built using stone from the site. The 2 April 1897 edition of the Daily Examiner reported that an "immense lot of stone" was being hauled from Wooldridge's quarry to raise a portion of the Brackley Point Road near the Euston Farm. The article, entitled "Road Boodling", indicated that the job was a reward for the government of the day's faithful followers.

Although the quarry retained the Wooldridge name, the Charlottetown Water Commissioners had purchased it in approximately 1890. The 26 July 1890 edition of the local newspaper the Patriot contained an advertisement entitled "Stone Quarry To Let". It indicated that tenders would be received on the quarry, as well as the cottage and land attached to the property. Tenders received would be for five years on the quarry and one to five years for the cottage and land. It is not known who offered tenders on either property.

Although the quarry is no longer in use, the land is still owned by the City of Charlottetown and now contains a water booster station. A unique feature in the City, the Wooldridge Quarry played a valuable role in the building of the City.

Sources: Heritage Office, City of Charlottetown Planning Department, PO Box 98, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7K2
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Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements illustrate the heritage value of the Wooldridge Quarry:

- The landscape features, particularly the depression in the land where the excavation site once existed