A few weekends ago, I joined the Drake Hotel's curatorial team on a day trip to Prince Edward County to visit the Drake Devonshire's outdoor art exhibition. Literally dubbed the "Art-Filled Devonshire Day Trip", it was a great way to spend a Sunday and a fantastic opportunity to visit one of Southern Ontario's most exciting regions.
The first stop on our adventure to the Drake Devonshire was Loch Sloy Business Park. Once known as Camp Picton, Loch Sloy is a former Royal Air Force airfield located in Picton, Ontario, built as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan in 1940. During the Second World War, Canadian, American, and British men trained here to become combat pilots, as this piece of land in Ontario was in a great location, tucked safely away from the Luftwaffe and Axis powers. Now under revitalization to become an operating business park, this historic military aviation facility is the last of its kind in North America. Loch Sloy spans 701 acres of land and is comprised of 6 hangars and 44 military buildings of various usages: a drill hall, dance and theatre hall, mess hall, and parachute towers, among others. Today, the former Camp Picton is home to a number of local businesses, with much of the infrastructure still intact and untouched since 1940.
Like many others on the trip, I had no idea that a place of such historical military significance existed in Canada, let alone a few hours outside of Toronto. One could spend hours walking through the lands and exploring the many different buildings throughout the airfield. It was a great experience visiting such an important part of Canadian military history, and amazing to see a company working hard to preserve it.
