Description of Historic Place

The Wood Shed is one of four outbuildings located on the 30-acre (12 hectare) Willson Estate. Designed in the Queen Anne Revival style, it is a one-and-a-half-storey, gable roof structure with overhanging eaves supported by large brackets. Its walls are clad in pressed metal stamped to replicate masonry and its only windows are located at its gable ends. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Wood Shed is a Classified Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and architectural and environmental values.

Historical Value
The Wood Shed, as an outbuilding at the Willson Estate, is directly associated with one of the grand rustic summer estates popular in the late 19th and 20th centuries. It is directly associated with an early stage in the development of the Gatineau Hills for recreational purposes. The estate was the summer home of the prominent inventor and industrialist, Thomas Leopold Willson, who played a prominent role in scientific research and development in Canada. At the summer home, the Willson family entertained the famous and influential, including the English poet, Rupert Brooke and Canadian poet Duncan Scott.

Architectural Value
The Wood Shed is valued for its very good aesthetic and good functional design. The careful massing, materials and detailing of the building, suggests a restrained and relatively symmetrical version of the Queen Anne Revival style, in harmony with the main house at the estate and its rustic setting. The level of detailing and craftsmanship is high.

Environmental Value
The Wood Shed establishes the rustic character of its estate setting and is a familiar building at the estate.

Sources: Robert Hunter, The Willson Estate, Meech Lake, Gainteau Park, Québec, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office, Building Report, 84-008; Willson House Complex, Meech Lake, Gatineau Park, Québec, Heritage Character Statement, 84-008.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Wood Shed should be respected.

Its very good aesthetic and functional design and very good craftsmanship and materials, for example:
- the one-and-a-half-storey massing;
- the gable roof with overhanging and flared eaves supported by large brackets;
- the wood-frame construction clad in pressed metal stamped to replicate masonry;
- the stone foundation and earth floor;
- the simply shaped bargeboard in the gable ends;
- the rectangular windows in the gable ends and the sliding doors.

The manner in which the Wood Shed establishes the rustic character of its estate setting and is a familiar building in the area, as evidenced by:
- its overall scale, design and materials, which complement the design of the main house and harmonize with its adjacent outbuildings at the country estate;
- its location, close to the main house, which makes it a familiar building at the estate.