Couple breathes new life into small-town Ontario train station
Longtime couple Noel and Kathy Bateman have worked together on renovations before, but never on something like the historic Clarendon train station north of Sharbot Lake, Ont.
The building is one of the last standing train stations on the K&P Line, which once connected downtown Kingston to Renfrew by rail and is now a converted multi-use trail.
Clarendon Station, steps away from the path, has been privately owned since the 1970s. It operated as a hunting camp for some years, Noel said, until it gradually declined and a leaky roof caused significant water damage.
"Leaky roofs are the killer of old barns and buildings," Noel said, adding that the structure had basically been condemned as unlivable.
Even though it needed a great deal of remediation, the Parham, Ont., couple purchased the station two years ago.
The building has been privately owned since the 1970s, according to Noel. (Submitted)
According to Kathy, they worked "like dogs" to convert it into a vacation rental in time for March Break earlier this year.
"We definitely had a few family meetings over our negotiations over certain parts of the project," said Noel, who's a contractor.
They are still happily married, Kathy said — but meeting their construction deadline didn't come without its bumps.
A teacher, Kathy said she'd come back home from school only to be asked by Noel to weigh in on finishing touches, leading to some "more heated" moments.
"But in the end, it's just so satisfying when you get those decisions behind you and then things would come together," she said.
'There are so many people who just love the sort of romance of the train and train travel and what it was like back in the day,' Kathy said. (Submitted by Noel and Kathy Bateman)
The couple opened up the space, in part by knocking down a chimney in the middle of the station — which had to go anyway for structural reasons — and tried to retain the original trim.
"It had already been essentially almost stripped of the studs," Noel said of the building. "There was really only one original staircase left."
Friends, train enthusiasts and local contractors pitched in on design touches and sign-painting so that, Kathy said, it felt like "the community restored the building."
"There are so many people who just love the sort of romance of the train and train travel, and what it was like back in the day," she said.
Won local award
Last month, the Batemans were among a number of local businesses recognized by Frontenac County for their work in 2023.
"When they made a really sweet speech [and] called our names, we were both a bit sucker punched," Kathy said. "We didn't expect that kind of support."
'It had already been essentially almost stripped of the studs,' Noel said of the building. 'There was really only one original staircase left.' (Submitted by Noel Bateman)
Fran Smith, the mayor of Central Frontenac, said short-term rentals in general have caused some concern in the region, with some people worried about "wild parties."
But with the owners living in the area, "that kind of thing may not be a problem at all," Smith said.
"It's a beautiful spot," she said of the Clarendon Station renovation.
"I think you're more apt to get people who are going to be respectful of the place, and probably people that want to go out and use the trail for biking, hiking or even snowmobiling."
