A man from Nova Scotia, Canada is expected to bank a fortune after putting his historic home on the market for $2 million (Dh7.3 million) – a whopping 130 times what he paid for it in 1982!
Photographer Sherman Hines snapped up the 313 year-old-property, which comprises seven buildings, for just $15,000 (Dh55,000) and has been slowly restoring it to its former glory over the past 30 years.
Mr Hines believes the Avondale home, known as ‘The Mission’ is one of the oldest in the Canadian province.
After searching through old maps and books, he discovered it was built in 1699 by the French as a mission and a fortification against the English.
Maps describe a building matching its description at the place where the St Croix River meets the Avon.
‘As far as I can find in any research I have done, it is the oldest building east of Quebec City,’ said Mr Hines.
According to the company the property is listed with it was constructed at the request of Abbe Le Loutre, a few miles from Grand Pre, the famous site of the expulsion of the Acadians in 1755 – 1758.
In 1755, the Mission and land became property of the King George II of England and the Chancery.
By 1760 the Township of Newport was created and the home and land was granted to two young men from Rhode Island, named Aaron Butts and George Brightman.
The living area stretches 3,800 square feet and the home is located on a 105.8 acre lot in Poplar Grove.
It has three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms, a patio, swimming pool and jet tub.
Tradewinds is touting the impressive land and buildings as an ideal location for a winery.
The basement of the property is made up of two rooms of rock walls and barrel shaped ceilings.
‘The root cellar, with exposed beams and stone walls, is an ideal tasting room,’ the company states.
The lower level of the house is easily accessible through a heavy French cart wide door reinforced with iron.
Mr Hines told journalists he fell in love with the house as soon as he saw it three decades ago.
‘We drove up and I crawled around in this basement, it was full of mud and debris. I was doing kind of a duck walk around, I couldn’t stand up, and I fell in love with it,’ he said.
But now his children have left home, he and his wife are looking to downsize.
‘It was mainly a place for the children. It’s a wonderful place for children to grow up, and now there are just two of us, and seven buildings, and we use three rooms.’
The family has meticulously restored the property, decking it out with period features and as much antique furniture as possible.
Many of the walls are adorned with Mr Hines’ trophies from big game hunting – and it’s all for sale with the home.
‘Part of my fun is saving the buildings, the other part is finding the materials to fix them up with,’ Mr Hines said.
He said he’d ideally want the ancient property turned into a museum or a winery. But if not, he’d love someone to make it their home.
(From The Daily Mail, London)
