“We talked about owning a B&B on our first date”
Judy shows us around The Boscawen Inn. It’s a 16-room Queen Anne style mansion set atop of a hill in the centre of Lunenburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Her inn, and home, has one of the best views in a town with very few bad views.
Judy and her husband Jon bought Boscawen two years ago, after years of dreaming of owning an inn. They were both accountants, but, as Judy tells it, from that very first date they’ve been making other plans.
Jon’s uncle is a hotelier in South Africa, and the pair had spent four years there managing the day-to-day operations of a large property. You can see hints of their time there all around Boscawen. There are vintage South African travel guides throughout the house, and truly unique antiques like this Victorian adjustable foot rest they brought with them from their travels (far right – next to piano).
The house is a veritable treasure hunt. Grandma’s house, if Grandma was Lady Grantham. It is elegantly updated, and every piece of furniture, every carving, every nook has a story to tell. Many of the pieces were here when Jon and Judy bought Boscawen, while other pieces, like the foot rest, came with them – a collection carefully selected and gathered in the years before they found their B&B.
Each of the eight fireplaces at Boscawen has a different head embossed into the frame.
They aren’t the first to call Boscawen Inn home. It was originally built as a wedding gift for the daughter of one of Lunenburg’s most historically influential figures, Senator H.A.N. Kaulbach. But it has been an inn since 1945, welcoming guests in Queen Anne style for close to 70 years.
The pair invited Drew and I to spend the night at Boscawen. After our tour, we head up to our room. There’s a little nook with a spectacular view of the town and we immediately decide we’re spending the bulk of our night in that nook.
Until we walk into the bathroom…
A jacuzzi. Next to a fireplace. Filled with candles. Perfection.
If I wasn’t already taken with Boscawen (I was), the bathroom sold me. Between the cozy nook with a view, the romantic bath, and the plush bed, it was a relaxing evening. We woke up to find some fresh ground Laughing Whale coffee (roasted just down the street) waiting to be perked.
Breakfast was simple but delicious – poached eggs nestled in individual ramekins, crispy bacon, bread with berry preserves and butter, yogurt with berries, and tea, coffee, and orange juice.
We finished our trip with some relaxing, reading, and writing in the sitting room with a cup of hot coffee and some upbeat jazz tunes playing in the background.
Boscawen Inn is also a popular wedding spot. Judy shared some lovely photos and stories of past weddings with us during our stay. I could just picture the picturesque ceremonies on the deck, and family gatherings in the common rooms in those magical days just before and after a wedding. They already have bookings into 2016 so if you’re dreaming of a Boscawen wedding you might want to book early.
Location:
Boscawen Inn
150 Cumberland Street,
Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
Season: April 1 – November 30
Website: http://boscawen.ca/
As you can tell by reading our posts, we are passionate about sharing the beauty and adventure of our little corner of the world. Thank you to Jon and Judy for inviting us to stay with them and experience their inn free of charge, making it possible for us to continue to experience and share great local adventures with our readers. The opinions and experiences in this piece are our own.
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