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original cricket pavilion at Rideau Hall was erected in the 1870’s
adjacent to the playing field laid out when the site became the vice-regal
estate. The cricket field itself was planned and laid out by Captain
Pemberton of the 60th Royal Rifles. In August of 1872, the Ottawa
Cricket Club sought permission from Lord Lisgar, who was the current
Governor-General of Canada, to construct a “wooden stand”
on the grounds of Rideau Hall. A letter from the Department of Public
Works archives is evidence to suggest that permission to construct
a pavilion was granted prior to June 1875. The appearance of this
early pavilion is recorded in a photograph of 1890, which shows a
one-storey structure supporting an open set of bleachers above it.
In 1891, the pavilion was partially destroyed by a fire and the
Club sought permission to rebuild. A letter, dated March 15, 1892,
from Government House to the Minister of Public Works suggests a
location for the construction of a new pavilion. In a letter, dated
March 17, 1892, the design of the new pavilion was approved by Government
House.
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The next known visual record of the cricket pavilion is from November
1902, when the present pavilion is recorded.
Decorative millwork on the present pavilion incorporate the initials
of the Ottawa Cricket Club. Newspaper articles regarding Rideau
Hall indicate that by 1909 the club was known as the Rideau Hall
Cricket Club.
The cricket pavilion has always and continues to be owned by the
Rideau Hall Cricket Association, although it sits on the grounds
of Rideau Hall. The Association is made up of four member cricket
clubs: Ottawa Cricket Club, Defense Cricket Club, Christ Church
Cricket Club and the New Edinburgh Criket Club. The Rideau Hall
Cricket Association is a non-incorporated, not-for-profit organization.
The building continues to serve as a cricket pavilion.
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