BURLINGTON – As a touring singer, Tim Archer had been to P.E.I. a couple times in his life.
One place stuck out for him each time he came.
"I get to meet a lot of interesting people and see a lot beautiful places, but nothing quite compares to Woodleigh," he said.
"I've been back here three times looking at the property and I thought, 'That's it.'"
The 42-year-old native of Sarnia, Ont., recently bought part of Woodleigh Replicas and moved to the Island to make it his permanent residence. He also aims to restore the park as an attraction again.
Archer admits there was some second guessing.
"For the first two weeks I would get so homesick," he said. "Every time I would walk out back, this one lonely bird says, 'You're going to be OK Tim, everything's just going to be fine.'"
Archer added that he's a spiritual person, and that's partly what drew him to the property.
"I found the peace that I needed in this chapter of my life," he said. "It's what kept drawing me back."
While purchasing only 49 acres of the park to start with, Archer said he may buy the rest.
"My deal was to purchase the entire property, but I wanted to make sure it was something I could physically do and something I could do justice to."
Once the home to several small replicas of famous sites in England and Scotland, Woodleigh's garden and castles were the dream of First World War veteran Ernest Johnstone.
Johnstone and his son, Archibald, began building the replicas after the Second World War.
The property became a public attraction and members of the community still visit, even after it's closure.
"I'm still getting dozens and dozens of cars everyday, and it's closed," said Archer. "People are just coming and asking if they can look around."
Community support for the purchase has been great, he added.
"I've had a lot of volunteers just driving up and say, 'Do you need an extra hand in the garden?' or 'I'm a tradesman and I know how to do cement work or carpentry, do you need help with anything?'" he said.
"I find it very different (than Ontario). Just the other day I had a neighbor show up with lemonade just because it was a hot day. The people have been nothing but welcoming."
Archer will hold a potluck, open to the public, on July 29 from 3 to 8 p.m., with music.
