Thursday Doors is a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing it, between Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time), by using the blue link-up button below.
Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia
Named Port-Royal by Samuel de Champlain when it was first established by French settlers in 1605, Annapolis Royal on the Fundy coast of western Nova Scotia is home to the oldest continuous European settlement in Canada.
Due to various wars, raids, invasions and treaties it was for a time one of the most coveted pieces of land in North America, changing hands between the French and British at least seven times in barely a century.
It served as both the administrative and military capital of French Acadia until its final capture by the British in 1710 when it was renamed in honour of Queen Anne. The military garrison was also renamed Fort Anne, though today’s Acadian descendants and much of the historical literature also refers to it by its original name of Fort Royal.
Over the next half-century the French and their Native allies made several unsuccessful attempts to reclaim the site but since Annapolis Royal was then serving as Nova Scotia’s capital it was well-defended and all French efforts were rebuffed.
Aside from one of the most impressive public gardens in eastern Canada, today’s Annapolis Royal has many wonderful sights for visitors to enjoy.
From the historic waterfront area with its quaint little lighthouse
to a number of colourful examples of coastal architecture.
In 1755 after repeated unsuccessful demands for an oath of loyalty to the British crown from the neutral Acadian farmers of the region, the British solution was to round up and deport the Acadians, sending the majority of them to other British colonies in the Americas and the West Indies, often with little or no regard for keeping families together.
During this event known as Le Grand Dérangement/The Great Upheaval, some of the Acadians were even shipped back to France despite being several generations removed and having no connections or family ties to the motherland, while others were shipped to England and held as prisoners of war.
Their valuable lands were of course given to well-connected British settlers and later to loyalists fleeing the U.S. New England colonies after finding themselves on the wrong side of history in the war for American independence.
Today a large number of well maintained grand Loyalist homes that were built on those confiscated lands can be found along the main drag, St. George Street.
Regardless of how they got there, I will say that some of these homes are truly magnificent sights to behold.
Visiting the beautiful town of Annapolis Royal it’s hard to believe that it was ever anything but the peaceful community it is today.
Stay there a day or two and you’ll discover through their museums and walking tours, what an amazing job the local Historical Association has done to preserve the heritage of their ancestors who first settled the region over four centuries ago.
As for those deported Acadians? Some of them did gradually sneak back to their home territories throughout Atlantic Canada. Many escaped through the woods making it as far as Québec to start their lives anew there. A large number of them stayed where they were resettled. Others eventually found their way to the another French North American colony in Lousiana and are the direct ancestors of today’s Cajun Americans.
As always, I thank you for looking 🙂
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All lovely but that middle double splash of colour wins it for me.
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Great collection Norm!! I love that green one with the yellow fence and trim!
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Thanks Amy 🙂
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Wonderful doors and history, Norm.
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Thank you 🙂
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You’re welcome. 🙂
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Once I was in Budapest and went a little door crazy (with camera). They make great photos, I especially like the red ones.
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Thank you Melissa and welcome 🙂
Yes doors can make for some great photos and once you get into it, door hunting can be very addictive.
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THATS a Door Fiesta!!! Beautiful!
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And I have a few left from here for next week too. Thanks Janet 🙂
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Okay! I’m staying tuned … 😁
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nice war doors and beautiful houses. I like that little lighthouse too.
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Thanks. That lighthouse was among my favourites too 🙂
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Terrific post this week Norm…your photos are a wonderful compilation and I imagine they capture wel the beauty of this area. Do you remember if the bright turquoise door with yellow trim on the shingled building was a private home? It is unusual looking, I like it very much, and just wondering if someone gets to walk up that walkway every day to this cheery door?
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Thanks Denise. I think it was a private home. It was on a stretch with a number of other large homes. Some were converted into B&Bs or small museums, but this one seemed to be private.
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I knew about the Arcadians from reading Evangeline in grade school! Oh, how I love the stone arch in the first picture, and the old doors, and the bright paint. Wonderful pictures, as ever!
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Yes the Acadians just loved that story and it’s taught in grade schools there in both English and French almost like it was a text book. Evangeline has been so personified in Acadian culture that Nova Scotia Tourism even named a scenic route after her.
Not bad for a fictional character 😉
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Definitely some magnificent homes, as you say, but that bright blue door surrounded by bright yellow is most delightful and by far my favourite in this collection!
Thanks for the history lesson too! Any chance you used to be a teacher? Or do you research along the way?
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Thanks for the kinds words. I’m glad you enjoyed this. No teaching in my background, unless a brief time as a tennis instructor counts 😉
Even as a child I’ve just always been fascinated by history. Most topics I choose start with a pretty good previous knowledge of the subject and then I’ll discover something new which usually sends me down the research rabbit hole.
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For some this history may be well known, but not for a European. Sad thing about the Arcadians. But these houses and doors are magnificent! A feast for the eyes:)
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I’m not surprised that Europeans and even others know so little about this. In fact I found that the Acadian Deportation isn’t all that broadly discussed outside of Atlantic Canada and Quebec.
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Wonderful collection as always. And a fascinating but depressing insight into British colonialism. We were truly awful and even today we are doing dreadful things.
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Thank you Becky. No country has a monopoly on either virtue or evil. We are all human and all of us flawed. It’s a shame that sometimes we can find ways to justify cruelty towards others. The goods news is that there’s always room to do better 🙂
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That’s true. I guess I’m feeling very sensitive about my country’s failings at the moment as we’re just lurching from one disaster to another.
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Excellent collection, as usual, Norm. But number 136 gets it
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Thank you. Yes 136 sure is pretty 🙂
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your doors are awesome
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Thank you Alice 🙂
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What a wonderful post – all these colors and the architecture. It’s so hard to pick a favorite … I like them all!
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Thank you Linda. Glad you liked them 🙂
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Stunning collection, Norm. Colors, styles, history, all make this a great post. Chapeau!
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Merci!
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Wow. I cannot even with all the beauty in this post! Every one of them is a stunning example of our collective doorscursion hopes! I liked the lighthouse, but then there was the yellow and teal, and I fell in love 🙂 Great architecture, too.
That’s interesting about the Acadians, but it’s not surprising. It made me think of some of the cultural issues here and well, just about everywhere in recent years… It affirms progress wins out. Eventually. Mostly.
Truly spectacular post. I think you may have outdone yourself!
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Thanks Joey. I’ve been lucky enough to visit this part of the province a number of times now and each time I do, I find new fascinating things about the place.
Glad you enjoyed the post 🙂
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I had picked out the lovely little lighthouse as my favorite… and then I saw the teal door surrounded by the yellow frame and fence! Very interesting but sad history. I’d love to think this sort of thing no longer occurs but that wouldn’t be the case.
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I waver between those same two as my faves as well.
As for the history, sadly we humans have yet to learn that cruelty towards others gains us nothing but enemies 😦
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Love the bright colors, especially the teal door with yellow trim and fence. FYI – For some reason when I open the Frog link I get a blank page.
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Thank you. Glad to see you were able to get the link-up tool to work 🙂
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I switched from DuckDuckGo browser back to Google and that seemed to do the trick. We are looking at airline fares for upcoming travel and I’ve read it’s best to use a private browser, or regular browser in privacy mode, as airlines presumably track you and raise fares along the way. More than you wanted to know, I’m sure. LOL
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Sad story but beautiful buildings – love the teepee!
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We had my mom with us on this trip and for some reason she was totally tickled pink with that teepee 😀
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Very interesting bit of history and incredible doors! Love the little lighthouse. 🙂
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Thanks Brenda. I’m rather fond of that lighthouse too 🙂
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Looking over the doors again, I think I like the teal door with the yellow frame the best. Have a nice weekend!
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Quite a colourful collection of doors.
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It’s a beautiful place to admire varied old architecture 🙂
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I’m a sucker for blue doors. That turquoise one set into a yellow surround…wonderful 🙂
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Yeah that one is a beauty. Thank you 😀
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Oh that Yellow and Red building is wonderful, and the Victorians are gorgeous!
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Oh Deborah, the Victorians on one stretch of that street are to-die-for wonderful. Huge old homes sitting on enormous well-manicured lawns. I took so many shots and I’m saving lots for future rainy day posts 😉
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So many grand doors there, but my favourite is the one that seems to lead underground, like a hobbit’s burrow.
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Thanks. Yes that one that leads down into the trenches around the fort 🙂
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Absolutely beautiful photos and a fascinating history! Thanks for sharing! 😀
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Thank you Linda 🙂
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An absolutely beautiful photo essay. That settles it, I am moving eastern Canada up the must-see list.
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Thank you. Yes for people who love nature, coastal landscapes, fresh seafood, and rich history, a trip to our east coast is a must.
Gee, I think I just talked myself into going back too 😀
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You’ve outdone yourself. Magnificent door collection.
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Thank you Sherry 🙂
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Absolutely fascinating story and tactfully reported, and yet another complicated legacy from British rule/occupation/expansion. Those doors are magnificent. Nova Scotia in creeping higher on my bucket list.
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Thank you. Yes, I highly recommend a visit to Nova Scotia if you ever get the chance. Home of some of the prettiest countryside and the warmest people in our country
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I like how you show some of these doors in context of the whole building, and how the line between gate and door sometimes blurs, historically. And thanks for the history lesson about the Acadians!
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Thank you Karen. As I always say, “Gates, doors…it’s all good” 😀
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I’m glad of that. I’ve certainly submitted some gates!
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Yellow and turquoise , gorgeous!
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Thanks Jackie 🙂
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Enjoyed the post. We did not have time to visit Fort Royal in 2017 .. will now plan trip
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The inside of the Garrison was turned into a Parks Canada Museum. The exhibits take you through the history of the settlement and all the turmoil and changing of hands after each successive rounds of battles. It’s fascinating stuff, but there’s so much to it that even a history buff like me found it was a lot to absorb.
If you do go back you might want to consider the Candlelight tour of the Garrison Graveyard. There’s a local Acadian Historian who takes visitors through the graveyard after dark to talk about the history of the area through the people who are buried there. Fun AND educational.
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Will keep in mind
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A beautiful collection, Norm. These really capture my imagination. Hugs.
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Thank you Teagan. I’m glad you enjoyed these 🙂
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The entire collection is wonderful, Norm. The houses are grand, the lighthouse makes me smile, and there’s just something about the first shots of all the stone structures that I love. Happy Thursday.
janet
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Thank you Janet. Yes I find that little lighthouse to be so adorable 🙂
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Thanks for sharing the wonderful history lesson and these beautiful doors (and buildings). It’s hard to imagine living in a territory that changed governments seven times in a century and continued to be the subject of invasion and battles.
The three-story gray building with the concave-to-convex lower roof line is fascinating. I opened that in a separate window and zoomed in on the details of that roof line. I can only imagine how much work was involved in building that and how much is required to maintain it.
It is sad to learn how the land was “acquired” but so much of north American history is anchored in the mistreatment of indigenous people and early settlers. Sadly, if the stakes were high enough, I think many modern governments would take the same course.
I was surprised to learn of the Cajun connection. I think i inadvertently alluded to something like that (travling in the other direction) with one of your fictitious ancestors. I guess you really can’t make this stuff up.
Great Thursday Doors, Norm – thanks!
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Thanks Dan. The whole area is a wonderful place to visit. I guess that’s why we keep going back.
To some degree the cultural links between the ‘cadians of Atlantic Canada and their Cajun cousins in Louisiana is still quite strong. Every year performers and musicians from each can be found playing music festivals and cultural exchange events hosted by the other.
In fact Cajun singer/songwriter Zachary Richard is probably more popular here and even in France than he is the U.S.
And they all speak French with a really funny accent 😉
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Very nice and interesting!
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Thank you 🙂
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No one on Thursday would even consider why you are our leader. WOW. What a great historic and architectural tour. The colors used on these beautiful doors are ones I wouldn’t consider, but I love the way they pop and accentuate the gingerbread trim and amazing hardware. Thank you, Norm. 🙂
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Thank you Judy 🙂
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An interesting piece of history, Norm. I didn’t know about the The Great Upheaval and it’s another example of how badly resident people have been treated by conquerors over time. You are right though – looking at your photos of Annapolis today, one would never guess its violent past.
You have a great collection of both doors and architecture, but the one blue door against the yellow brick stands out. How unusual to see great hinges like this secured into both the wall and the door. The visual effect is quite striking.
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The Acadian Deportation is one of the predominant historical topics throughout the Maritimes. Even though Les Acadiens and Les Canadiens (Quebecers) were two separate and distinct French colonies Le Grand Derangement is considered by some historians to have fueled a lot of the mistrust and animosity that still exists between the French and English in Canada to this day.
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Wow – how did I manage to miss such a significant event in Canadian history? I can understand why it plays large in the Maritimes.
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Great doors and some interesting history. Your posts often prompt me to look up maps of the places you visit so I’m learning a lot about Canal from them.
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Thank you Judith. I’m glad you enjoyed this. I learn a few new things about different places each week thanks to #ThursdayDoors contributors.
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