Woodleigh Replicas


Woodleigh Replicas was a park of miniatures situated in the rural community of Burlington outside Kensington, Prince Edward Island on a 30-acre site. The visitor attraction opened in 1957 and closed in May 2008.

Beginnings

It was started about 1945 by Ernest Johnstone, a veteran of World War I and his son Archibald Johnstone, a veteran of World War II. Construction continued through the 1970s. The elder Johnstone, of Scottish descent, named it after his ancestral home in Annandale.

Features

It featured replicas at varying scales of landmarks from the United Kingdom including St. Paul's Cathedral, Anne Hathaway's cottage, Shakespeare's birthplace, The Old Curiosity Shop, and Dunvegan Castle. The most ambitious feature is a replica of the Tower of London, which covers a substantial portion of the site and which includes the Armories and replicas of the Crown Jewels. The replicas, many of which were built of mortared stone, still remained intact in 2011.

Closing

The attraction was closed due to falling attendance and the declining health of its last private owner, Peter Steele. The province, which held the mortgage, failed to find a buyer for the property when it was first offered for sale in June, 2008.