Travis Z Baker Media
5287 Granville Rd., Granville Ferry, N.S.
Asking Price: $789,000
Taxes: N/A
Lot Size: 0.38 acre
Agent: Paula Hafting, Re/Max Banner Real Estate
The backstory
The rich history of Nova Scotia inspires many visitors to ramble through the countryside and hike along the coast, exploring their family roots.
Ann Marie Monk took that journey to the next level when she bought the house her seafaring great-great grandfather built in Granville Ferry in 1881.
In the late 1800s, Captain Joseph Hall was a prominent Nova Scotia mariner who transported cargo on a square-rigged sailing vessel named Rothesay.
But it was the captain’s daughter, Elizabeth (Bessie) Pritchard Hall, who truly became part of local lore when her father fell ill on a mission to transport cotton from New Orleans to Liverpool, England. At the age of 20, Bessie took command of the ship and used the navigation skills she had learned from her father to power through fierce gales and deliver the cargo.
Captain Hall recovered from that ordeal and went on to build a family home in Granville Ferry, directly across the river from the early settlement of Annapolis Royal in the western part of the province.
Despite Bessie’s local fame, women were not able to pursue a career in maritime trade in those days, so she put down her own roots and raised four children in the area.
More than a century later, Ms. Monk was living in the southern United States when she travelled to the Annapolis Valley with her mother in the early 2000s. The two were looking into the genealogy of the Hall family, who had migrated to the area from Massachusetts in the 1700s.
After their visit, a cousin messaged to say Captain Joseph Hall’s homestead was listed for sale.
The circa 1881 house across the river from Annapolis Royal had operated as a bed and breakfast inn for many years.
Ms. Monk says the home’s ancestral connection appealed to her, while her husband, Bill Monk, has always been drawn to remainders of a bygone era.
The couple purchased the house in 2003 as a summer retreat.
The house today
The 2 1/2-storey house with a steep-pitched gable roof and a wide veranda was in good condition when the couple purchased it, says Ms. Monk, so there was no need for a substantial renovation.
“The home was extremely well-built and structurally sound,” she says.
Inside the four-bedroom home, the couple added their own collection of fine art and antique furniture in keeping with the Victorian era.
They also took care to preserve and burnish the grand central staircase, original wood, rippled glass windows, and tin ceilings in the dining room, foyer and parlour.
In the dining room, Ms. Monk painted the walls Wedgwood blue to complement a decorative frieze in an intricate plaster style known as “wedding cake.”
The building with Greek Revival influences is a designated heritage property, so changes to the exterior must be in keeping with conservation rules.
Ms. Monk, a musician and teacher, spent summers in the small community of Granville Ferry tutoring music students in the home’s front parlour, while Mr. Monk joined her for vacations.
Outside, a rustic two-storey carriage house provides a well-outfitted woodworking shop for Mr. Monk.
“That was probably the selling point for my husband,” Ms. Monk says with a laugh.
In 2007, Mr. Monk was ready to wind down from his career as a district manager for a supermarket chain, and the couple decided to revive the home’s status as an inn.
“We realized this is where we wanted to live and stay,” says Ms. Monk. “It was a good way to semi-retire.”
The previous owners had already converted the rear of the home to private living quarters that provided separation from the guest rooms.
In preparation for their new venture, the Monks remodelled the kitchen, primary bedroom and ensuite bathroom.
They updated the home with some modern comforts, such as new heating and cooling systems, electrical service and high-speed internet.
Ms. Monk rechristened the B&B as A Seafaring Maiden in honour of Bessie, her intrepid ancestor.
For 16 years, the couple welcomed history buffs, nature lovers and guests researching their own family histories. The business won many awards, including Tripadvisor’s coveted Travellers’ Choice.
“All over the world they came from,” Ms. Monk says of the guests. “It appealed to people who wanted to step back.”
Many visited the town of Annapolis Royal, the Fort Anne National Historic Site and the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens, where Ms. Monk gathered musicians for a summer program known as Music in the Gardens.
In the fall of 2024, the Monks decided to formally retire and closed their doors to guests.
The B&B could quickly be up and running, however.
“I have the extra sheets and towels,” Ms. Monk says with a laugh.
The best feature
The property is being sold with a stretch of waterfront along the Annapolis River.
Across the road from the home, the separate parcel provides a sitting area, a gazebo, added parking and private access to the river for boating.
“We kayak on the river all the time,” says Ms. Monk.