Cupids

John Guy landed here in 1610 with thirty-nine colonists under a charter from the London and Bristol Company, founding the first English colony in what is now Canada and the second in North America after Jamestown. The first English child born in Canada was born here in 1613. The settlement's exact location was then lost for centuries until archaeologist William Gilbert found it in 1995 by test-trenching; excavation has since uncovered the dwelling house, a defensive ditch and enclosure, and tens of thousands of artefacts. The dig continues each summer. A museum in the village displays the finds and the search that located them.

What you actually see

• The 1610 foundations - the dwelling house and enclosure uncovered since 1995.
• The rediscovery story - how the lost site was found by trenching.
• The artefacts - tens of thousands of finds displayed in the museum.
• The working dig - excavation continuing through the summer.

When to go

June to September; the site and museum are seasonal and the excavation runs in summer. The 1610 anniversary is marked in August.

Honest expectations

The remains are foundations and require interpretation. The site closes for winter. The village is small with limited services.

Nearby

Brigus lies close; Heart's Content is west.