A destination for the decades

The Belfountain Conservation Area, set within the Niagara Escarpment, is a well-known park owned and managed by the Credit Valley Conservation. A defining feature of the Belfountain Village for over a century, the park is rich with cultural heritage. Originally built as a private estate, the park attracts thousands of visitors each year with its charm as a historic landscape designed in an English Picturesque style nestled adjacent a natural riparian setting.

After many years as a popular public destination, the CVC required a design strategy to carefully assess the programmatic needs of the site while remaining sensitive to its heritage designation. Brook McIlroy prepared a master plan that included the restoration and revitilization of the area, as well as the design of a new visitor centre.

The Brook McIlroy team of landscape architects and architects implemented the first phase of the master planning vision, including:

• design and development of a river-side trail system complete with vistas and elevated boardwalks

• a dry-laid sandstone feature wall

• riverbank naturalization planting.

Additionally, the Brook McIlroy team has worked closely with Wood Plc., bridge and water resource engineers, to design and administer the construction of a pedestrian bridge meant to also serve as temporary egress for vehicles during the park’s construction. The design of the bridge includes a weathering steel frame cladded in cedar shake to form a slight curvature across the bridge elevation.