Linkside

4 bed, 2 bath, ocean view, bocce court, on Cabot Links, accessible first floor, 1,500 sq. ft

This building is a former historical Company House and has been lovingly reconstructed by the present owner and is now available for rent. This home is located on Cabot Links golf course in Inverness, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia and is a par-five walk from the Cabot Links Pro Shop and a ten minute walk to the Inverness beach. The first floor is accessible and there is a full-size, outdoor bocce court to enjoy.

This house has 1,500 square feet of indoor space with 4 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms. There is a new kitchen and dining room. There are new hardwood floors throughout the building as well as new plumbing, electrical, windows, doors, trim and finishes. I’ve taken an old house and brought it up to present day building codes with all new interior materials, windows, doors and fire alarms. There is sound reducing insulation in every interior wall, making the rooms quiet. The house is also fully insulated for year-round use and has electric heating when needed.  There is a washer and dryer for your use and a clothesline. The first floor is wheelchair accessible with entrance ramp, wide doors and full bathroom with accessible shower. There is full android tv service and free wifi. There’s a skylight in the kitchen making the place bright throughout. The kitchen includes all dishes, small appliances, silverware, pots and pans, and utensils that you’ll need for cooking. The kitchen was designed to take advantage of the views and faces a 180 degree view of the ocean. It’s a superb place to enjoy the incredible Inverness sunsets directly behind the house in mid-summer. The kitchen is open concept with butcherblock counter tops, refrigerator, range, microwave oven and dishwasher. The kitchen island also has two bar stool seats and there is a dining table that seats 8. There is a deck off the kitchen with a propane barbecue and outdoor seating. The property has a large back lawn and a full-size (60′ x 10′) bocce court for your use as well as a fire pit at the back of the yard. There is an enclosed front porch with seating and parking available for up to three vehicles on site.

Up the new, wider staircase, you’ll find three bedrooms and a full bathroom with tub and shower. The upstairs landing and main bedroom have skylights. There are queen beds in two bedrooms upstairs and bunk beds in the third bedroom. Linens and towels are provided for your use.

The landscape of Inverness gently slopes down to the ocean and this location was the lowest of the company house rows closest to the the former mine entrance and now to the Cabot Links golf course. There were many good qualities of these buildings: they were well-built, strong and necessary housing for the miners. The houses were painted red and built in rows, lining the streets of Inverness, the visual reference to the neighbourhoods known to this day as the “Red Rows.” All of these buildings were nestled close to the mines as this house was. There were mining buildings out back and a large turntable for turning around train engines, approximately where the Cabot Links first green is now.

Company Houses were duplex buildings built by the mining company to house workers during the busy mining boom years of the early 2oth century. This house dates to 1904 and was built on Mann Avenue, named after one of the mine owners of the Inverness Mining Company. From the Inverness Miners Museum website “On low, level ground near the harbour they opened a slope in which they (Owners Mann & MacKenzie) struck a seven-foot seam of superior soft coal. Shortly after striking this seam the Company erected about eighty double tenement houses for miners, and as many more a little later. The construction of the houses was contracted out to an Amherst firm, Rhodes and Curry although many local carpenters were involved in the actual construction. All the houses were painted red and became known as the Red Rows. The rows of unicoloured houses led to humorous confusion on many occasions. One recurring tale tells of the farmers who used to come in on the weekends selling their produce. Once the tenant purchased some goods they would ask the farmer to return on payday. When the tanner returned he could not tell one house from the other.”

Alistair MacLeod, our local author who set many of his short stories in Cape Breton Island mining towns, describes the community in “The Return”:

“Then there is the mine silhouetted against it all, looking like a toy from a Meccano set; yet its bells ring as the coal-laden cars fly up out of the deep, grumble as they are unloaded, and flee with thundering power down the slopes they leave behind. Then the blackened houses begin and march row and row up the hill to where we stand and beyond to where we go.”

There are many things to do in the area. If you play golf, you’ll be happy to know our world ranked Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs Golf Courses are right here in Inverness. Cape Breton Highlands National Park is a 45 minute drive from Inverness and offers hiking and beautiful scenery. It’s so worth the drive. The coastline along the west coast of Cape Breton offers many excellent opportunities for photography, art and appreciation of nature. There is world class salmon fishing 20 minutes away along the Margaree River. Celtic Shores Coastal Trail begins yards away from the house. From their website “The Celtic Shores Coastal Trail is a 92-km (57 mi) multi-use trail stretching from Port Hastings to the Town of Inverness on the west coast of the spectacular Cape Breton Island.  Great for off-road cycling or long distance trekking, the easy, flat trail meanders along the coastline, through picturesque wilderness, skirts streams, and connects several communities and attractions.  Along the way you will find active fishing harbours, warm-water beaches in Port Hood, West Mabou, and Inverness, the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre in Judique along with five other museums, Glenora Distillery, the Cabot Links Golf Course, and the not-to-be-missed Red Shoe Pub in Mabou.  All of this is complimented with a variety of accommodations, restaurants, places to shop, some of the best live Celtic music on the island and a unique living Gaelic culture.” Along the trail you find community kiosks and interpretive panels that will provide you with a glimpse of local history and culture. This trail is part of the Trans Canada Trail and the International Appalachian Trail.”

Inverness County Centre for the Arts is on the north edge of town. It’s become a lively centre for visual arts with concurrent shows running all summer long. I show my original paintings there. There are often events like musical performances and literary events. Check out their website event calendar for events during your stay in Inverness. Something very much worth mentioning is the Inverness Raceway. This is a local institution where harness racing has taken place in the summer for generations. The races are free to the public and happen every Wednesday and Sunday. You can buy food, alcohol and place your bet on your new favorite horse. The raceway is just up the street a few blocks and you see people walking to the track near race time.

Nearby attractions include Glenora Distillery, The Red Shoe Pub, The Canadian Legion and the Cabot Links Public House. It’s all here to enjoy!