The visual focal point of Monck’s Landing is the unique stone barn which occupies a central vantage point on the course. Recalling the mills which dot the landscape of “the old country”, our barn provides an authentically stately echo of the links tradition Monck’s Landing has strived to recreate.
Featuring 2-foot thick locally-quarried stone walls up to the gables, and a “flying-buttress” roof perhaps unseen in any other similar structure in Canada, the barn is a one-of-a-kind building that Monck’s Landing is proud to call our own……and to share with the golfing (and non-golfing) public.
Local lore has it that the Stephens family (the original owners of the farm upon which Monck’s Landing was built) commissioned a local stonemason named Ed Valentine to build them an indestructible barn after its wooden predecessor had blown down during a windstorm. Recently returned from duty in the First World War, Mr. Valentine proceeded to create this extraordinary structure using horse-drawn wagons and stone boats to haul the rock, pulleys to lift the stone into place, and hammers & chisels to shape the stones by hand. The influence of the architecture he saw on weekend leaves in Scotland during the war can be seen in the attention to detail throughout the barn……the finished product features many flourishes not usually seen in a building used for mere animal husbandry. The wisdom of Ed Valentine’s choices and methods were confirmed when an earthquake in the 1930’s failed to dislodge a single stone!
The Doble’s have restored the upper portion of the barn and are now offering it to be used for various events, the most popular being rustic weddings! The lower portion of the barn is now occupied by a local gift shop “The Cricket’s Handbag” which showcases unique gifts and treasures and is open within the same hours as our pro shop.
