Today’s recommendations
Today’s slate
At the microbrewery, at La Desserte or at the Café du Couvent, the menu is written in chalk on a slate. Ours too! Every day, four outing ideas in the Pays de l’ardoise: a coffee, a stroll, a discovery and a little treat.
The slate changes every day, with the seasons. Not your cup of tea? Wipe it clean and we’ll write another.
Daily suggestions based on the season and the day of the week. Check opening hours before you go.
Gateway to the Eastern Townships
This is where
the Eastern Townships begin
Coming down Highway 55 from Centre-du-Québec? About half an hour past Drummondville, the valley opens up, the St. Francis River begins to wind and the first steeples rise above the maples. Welcome to the Pays de l’Ardoise, the northernmost corner of the Eastern Townships and its front door.
Five municipalities make up the region: Richmond, a small riverside town at its heart, Kingsbury, Ulverton, Melbourne Township and Cleveland Township. On Richmond’s rue Principale, everybody crosses paths: running errands, lingering on a patio, celebrating St. Patrick’s. All around: hills, farms, brick villages under slate roofs and sleeping quarries that tell of the glory days.
Take the exit. Take your time.
The railway arrives: Richmond becomes a rail junction
Oldest slate quarry in Quebec, in Cleveland
years of St. Patrick’s, celebrated all through 2027
municipalities, one destination
Must-sees
Eight good reasons to stop by
A stone, a river and people proud of their corner of the country. Here’s where to start.
01
Slate Museum
Under the slate roof of an 1889 church, relive the rush for blue stone and the saga of the quarrymen who came from Wales.
02
Ulverton Woollen Mill
An 1849 mill, a covered bridge, a waterfall roaring at the foot of the walls and five kilometres of forest trails. English tea is waiting.
03
Paddling the St. Francis
Ten kilometres of easy paddling between Richmond and Ulverton, about three hours, no experience needed. Let the current do the rest!
04
La Cantonnière
25 km of riverside trail from Windsor to Richmond, through Melbourne and Coburn Park. By bike or on foot, with the river for company.
05
Kingsbury and the marsh
Gateway to the Sentiers de l’Estrie and neighbour to a 439-hectare nature reserve where more than a hundred species of waterbirds stop over. Do as they do.
06
The Old Station
The 1912 brick station once saw trains pass between Montreal, Quebec City and Portland. Today, people come for the food.
07
Centre d’art de Richmond
Concerts, theatre and exhibitions in the former Mont Saint-Patrice convent (1884). Culture here has character.
08
Rue Principale
Shops, cafés, a microbrewery and patios steps from the river: the commercial heart of the whole region. Everyone meets here.
Five municipalities
One region, five personalities
Pick a municipality and the map takes you there.
The central town, set on the banks of the St. Francis. A post office by 1820, a rail junction in 1853, a town in 1882: Richmond grew to the rhythm of the trains. Sainte-Bibiane Church (1880), its rectory and the convent form a heritage site designated in 2016. Stroll from the Mackenzie Bridge (1903) to the Old Station, step into the Slate Museum and end the evening at the Centre d’art.
The quarrymen’s village. Incorporated in 1896, it welcomed workers from Wales and Cornwall; the New Rockland quarry, opened in 1868, produced slate judged equal to Welsh slate. Today: the quiet of the marsh, the Joseph-Armand-Bombardier nature reserve and the Sentiers de l’Estrie. And luthiers, quiet craftsmen of singing wood.
Settlers from New York State put down roots near the falls in 1802; a grist mill followed in 1814. The Woollen Mill, founded in 1849, is the star today, with its covered bridge and trails. All around, farms and gardens where good eating is a way of life.
Incorporated in 1855, the township had its golden age in the days of slate. Brick houses, blue-grey roofs, a country market, a vineyard and artists’ studios line its back roads. Fun fact: St. Andrew’s Church in Upper Melbourne (1841), now the Galeries Perkins, appeared on the back of the $2 bill from 1954 to 1975. Painter Frederick Simpson Coburn, master of winter scenes, was born in Melbourne.
Carved out of Shipton Township in 1855, Cleveland nearly wraps Richmond in its hills. The Steele quarry opened here in 1854, considered by the Department of Mines to be the oldest slate quarry in Quebec. Farm roads, apiaries and a 43.5 km cycling loop for curious calves.
Our story
A stone, a river, a railway
In the 19th century, the St. Francis Valley became Canada’s leading slate centre. Welsh and Cornish quarrymen settled here, villages grew up around the quarries and local slate roofed churches and buildings as far as Montreal and Toronto. Meanwhile, the railway made Richmond a crossroads between Montreal, Quebec City and Portland. Scroll through two centuries of history.
1798
First settlers in Melbourne Township, from Montreal and the Richelieu, then from New England.
1802
William Cross and Phinela Latting settle near the Ulverton falls.
1810
The Craig Road opens from Lévis to Richmond. Today’s St. Patrick’s parade sets off from Craig Street.
1849
William Read Dunkerley founds the Ulverton woollen mill.
1853
The Montreal–Portland line reaches Richmond, soon the Grand Trunk junction toward Lévis.
1854
The Steele quarry opens in Cleveland, considered by the Department of Mines to be the oldest slate quarry in Quebec.
1855
Melbourne, Cleveland and Ulverton townships are incorporated.
1868
The New Rockland quarry opens: its slate will be judged equal to Welsh slate.
1877
The St. Patrick’s Society of Richmond is founded. Its 150th anniversary will be celebrated all through 2027.
1880
Blessing of Sainte-Bibiane Church, designed by Cyrias Ouellet.
1884
The Mont Saint-Patrice convent rises beside Sainte-Bibiane Church. Since 1982, this large red-brick building has been home to the Centre d’art de Richmond.
1896
Kingsbury, the quarrymen’s village, separates from Melbourne Township.
1903
The Mackenzie Bridge, a steel Warren truss bridge, is built.
1912
The brick station replaces the wooden one lost to fire.
1920
Asphalt shingles replace slate: the last quarries close within the decade.
1954
The $2 bill features a view of the village of Melbourne.
1982
The Centre d’art moves into the former Mont Saint-Patrice convent, and the Ulverton mill is restored.
Sources
- Quebec Ministry of Mines, GM04085 report (McGerrigle, 1938)
- Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network (QAHN), The Slate Industry Yesterday and Today
- Musique et orgues au Québec, Sainte-Bibiane in Richmond
- Ulverton Woollen Mill, history
- Gens du pays, Ulverton
- Nature Conservancy of Canada, Bombardier-Kingsbury reserve
- Melbourne Township, profile and cultural treasures
- Bonjour Québec, Townships Trail
- CBC, Richmond St. Patrick’s parade (2018)
- Tourisme Val-Saint-François, attraction listings
- Wikipedia: Richmond, Richmond station, Melbourne, Kingsbury, Ulverton, Cleveland
Through the seasons
The big events
We know how to throw a party. Relive our festivals in pictures, then come and live them for real.
March
St. Patrick’s Parade
Horse teams, brass bands and crowds in green: since 1877, Richmond has celebrated its Irish roots in style. In 2027, the 150th runs all year long. Program at richmondstpats.org.
August
Antique Car Festival
Enthusiasts from all over, bodywork shining in the sun and a big community party in the heart of summer.
September
Un Après-midi cirque (circus afternoon)
With cars kept out, rue Principale becomes a kingdom of acrobats, giant puppets and brass bands.
December
Grand Illuminated Parade
Glowing floats and music through the streets of Richmond, ending with a big gathering at Place René-Thibault.
Photo bank
Tell the region’s story
with our photos
More than 800 photos of festivals, people and landscapes of the Val-Saint-François, ready for your websites, newsletters, social media and print. Licences from $5 a photo, ordered online.
Itineraries
A day with us
Three ideas for a first visit. The rest is up to you.
In the morning, hop on your bike at the Old Station and ride La Cantonnière’s riverside trail toward Melbourne and Coburn Park. Legs asking for more? The Cleveland loop rolls out 43.5 km of country roads. Back in town, a well-earned pint on rue Principale.
Book a boat with Canot-Kayak Richmond and drift from Richmond to Ulverton: about 10 km and three hours of easy paddling. At the finish line, the Ulverton Woollen Mill, its waterfall and covered bridge.
Start at the Slate Museum, wander the historic district between Sainte-Bibiane Church and the Mackenzie Bridge, have lunch at the Old Station. In the afternoon, head to Kingsbury in the quarrymen’s footsteps. In the evening, a show at the Centre d’art.
Visitor information
Your prescription for happiness
At the visitor centre, we don’t sell medicine: we prescribe outings. Four quick questions, and our guides write you a custom prescription drawn from our 77 favourite places. Take as often as you like.
How much time can you give us?
We promise not to keep you against your will. Well…
Who’s coming with you?
Treatment is adjusted to the size of the tribe.
What are you in the mood for?
Pick up to three symptoms. Several answers allowed, and they’re all correct.
Which season?
Every season has its remedies. There’s no bad season, only bad coats.
Plan my getaway
Build your getaway
77 places: museums, trails, restaurants, farms, vineyards, artisan studios and lodging. Search for a word, filter by municipality or by mood. Add a listing to your notebook in one click, then print it or send it to your travel companions.
Your business isn’t listed?
Attraction, restaurant, farm, studio or lodging in the Pays de l’ardoise: submit your listing, it’s free.
Listings based on the directory of Tourisme Val-Saint-François. Hours and services may change: check with the business before you go.
By car
From Centre-du-Québec, Montreal or Quebec City, take Highway 20 to Drummondville, then Highway 55 South: Richmond is about 30 minutes away. Exits 85 (Route 243, Melbourne) and 88 (Route 116, Richmond). From Sherbrooke, take Highway 55 North.
Without a car
La Québécoise coaches stop in Richmond. VIA Rail serves Drummondville, a few dozen kilometres away. Once here, La Cantonnière links Richmond, Melbourne and Windsor by bike.
When to come?
March for St. Patrick’s. Summer for the river, festivals and patios. Fall for the blazing hills. Winter for cross-country skiing and the Grand Illuminated Parade. In short: whenever you like!
Planning resources
Go further
Up-to-date lodging, restaurants, routes and events: our regional partners help you plan your visit.
Tourisme Val-Saint-François
Every address in the RCM: attractions, lodging, restaurants, agritourism, routes and an events calendar.
Tourisme Cantons-de-l’Est (Eastern Townships Tourism)
Getaway ideas, itineraries, packages and lodging across the nine territories of the Eastern Townships.
Val-Saint-François tourist map
The RCM’s official map, to download before you go or print for the glove box.
Le Chemin des Cantons (Townships Trail)
A heritage route of more than 400 km through the Eastern Townships, with a stop featuring Richmond’s slate and the Ulverton mill.
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Festivals, what’s new and seasonal tips in the Pays de l’ardoise. A few emails a year, never more.