A conversation with Hilary Grant, Heritage Officer and Senior Planner for the town of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.
![Colourful wooden Houses of Lunenburg.](https://carleton.ca/aah/wp-content/uploads/DSC5061.jpg)
Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, is one of Canada’s most historic towns, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This podcast served as the final virtual ‘lecture’ in my 2nd-year course on 18th– and 19th-century architecture. The topic is arguably the greatest site of 18th– and 19th-century heritage in Canada: the town of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. My guest is Hilary Grant, Heritage Officer and Senior Planner for Lunenburg – and a graduate of our History & Theory of Architecture program.
In a wide-ranging conversation, Hilary and I chatted about her career trajectory, Lunenburg’s extraordinary heritage value, and the not inconsiderable challenges involved in being both a World Heritage Site and a thriving 21st-century community. At the end, she gives us all a task to perform – but I’ll let her explain that to you.
Here’s our conversation:
Here are some of the features that Hilary discusses:
![Rectininear grid diagram showing the street plan of Lunenburg.](https://carleton.ca/aah/wp-content/uploads/Lunenburg-Plan-copy.jpg)
The original grid plan of Lunenburg, perfectly preserved to this day.
![People gather around a bandstand and listen to musicians playing in Lunenburg.](https://carleton.ca/aah/wp-content/uploads/DSC6694.jpg)
The bandstand in the public heart of Lunenburg, hosting (among many other things) the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival.
![A white wooden church in Lunenburg.](https://carleton.ca/aah/wp-content/uploads/St.-Johns-Ext-1.jpg)
St. John’s Church, Lunenburg, re-built after a fire in 2001.
![Colourful wooden houses in Lunenburg.](https://carleton.ca/aah/wp-content/uploads/DSC5107.jpg)
The vernacular architecture of Lunenburg.
Links:
Lunenburg by the Sea is a wonderful repository of archival images of Lunenburg.
You can find Lunenburg’s listing as a UNESCO’s World Heritage Site here.
All music used in the podcast was by Oliver Schroer, from the albums Whirled, A Million Stars, and Celtica. Most of Oliver’s music can be purchased through Borealis Records.
Supervisor, History & Theory of Architecture program, Carleton University