A labour of love leads to a new business, and an award

Jeff Green | Nov 30, 2023

The Clarendon Station is the last standing station along the old K&P Rail line, and until recently, it looked like it was going to join all the other stations along the route as existing only in grainy photos.

Noel Bateman, who has some education and experience in heritage restoration, was looking for a new project to sink his teeth into and learned that the building was at a final crossroads. It was being used as a residence, but had been declared unfit for habitation by the township of Central Frontenac’s building department.

That meant the selling price was low but at that time but the building “was basically at the end of its functional life,” Bateman said. “The roof had been leaking for some time, and since it was resting on piers which also needed remediation, it could not have carried on in that state. There was some structural repair that was required as well.”

What followed was a two-year COVID project for Bateman, who worked on it full time, with a lot of help from a number of local contractors. “It was a unique project and people wanted to help save it. I was so lucky to have some of the best people around to help. Honestly, history was preserved by our local community.”

Interior work was extensive, all wall treatments and flooring needed to be pulled off, there was roofing and structural work needed.

“It was literally down to the studs,” he said.

The building had two sections and it still does. The front was partitioned off into an office and a waiting room, and the back was an open space for storage and deliveries. Now, the front has been converted into a comfortable open concept kitchen and living room with one bedroom on the main floor and two more on the second level.

The old “Freight Room” is set up as a games room with couches and a TV. It is also a great spot to lock up bikes at night or to hang wet winter coats and gear after a day of snowmobiling.

It has become a unique vacation property, sitting right on the K&P trail.

“It’s pretty easy to access, just off Road 509, but it is on the edge of a wooded section of trail,” said Bateman.

Since opening to renters in the spring of this year, it has attracted cyclists along the trail, as well as families looking for a country getaway. Summer was great and the holidays are full. With a dump of good snow and bookings from the snowmobile community, it is shaping up to be a good first year.

It will take a few years to recoup the investment he, and his wife, Kathy, have made into bringing the building back from the brink of collapse, not to mention two years of full time labour.

The project has drawn some attention from the local community as well, mostly positive, and at the recent Frontenac County Business Awards, the Batemans received the Partnership and Collaboration Award, for “working with other business operators in the region to bring new products, services, and experiences to market.”

In announcing the award, the judges said that the Batemans “collaborate and support local businesses by stocking their rental property with local goods, regularly attending farmers markets to support local food producers and small business operators. They also offer use of their rental home for local charitable events. They are a shining light in the community, endlessly supportive of other businesses.”

“Kathy deserves all the credit for that,” said Noel. “She handles social media and keeps our contacts strong.”

With the K&P Trail set to finally be completed within a year or two, the Clarendon Station property is slated to play a key role as a link between a growing market for trail-based tourism, and honouring the history of the K&P railway which opened up the region to development 150 years ago.

Clarendon Station is located on Clarendon Road, off Road 509. Turn right at the Ardoch Road sign and take the next right. Interested in booking? Contact 1-613-985-3150 or book through cottagesincanada.com or search Clarendon Station on Instagram and follow the booking links.