Colborne Lodgeis anhistoric house museumlocated in an 1836 home inToronto'sHigh Park.John George Howard,an architect, engineer and prominent Toronto citizen, built this house, which became the property of the city following his death in 1890.[1]
 Colborne Lodge in 2009 | |
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| Established | 1890 |
|---|---|
| Location | Toronto,Ontario,Canada |
| Type | Historic house museum |
| Website | Colborne Lodge website |
History
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Built in 1836 by City SurveyorJohn George Howardto house himself and his wife, Jemima Frances Meikle, Colborne Lodge is perched on the top of a hill overlookingLake Ontario.The home is a classic example of theRegencycottage style, and it was one of the first such buildings in area. The small house sought to blend in with the landscape around it, in sharp contrast to the rigid formalism ofGeorgian architecturethat was then the standard architectural style. It was originally one storey, but Howard later expanded it by adding the upper level.
The house was named after SirJohn Colborne,Lieutenant-Governor ofUpper Canadafrom 1828 to 1836 and the first Canadian patron of Howard's architecture. Next to the home is the Colborne Lodge gardens, first created by the Howards.
The cottage sat on 165 acres (67 ha) of land owned by Howard. His original intent was to start a farm on the property, and he did keep some animals. Later, he attempted to subdivide his holdings and sell off small lots to create a new neighbourhood. At that time, the area was still a considerable distance west of Toronto and a difficult commute to town. Howard himself maintained a separate home in downtown Toronto. The landscape of the property – with its steep hills, wetlands and sandy soils – would have been difficult to develop in any event.
Howard and his wife had no children and thus deeded the property to the city in 1873, in exchange for a permanent pension. He continued to live in the house until his death in 1890. Additional land was purchased by the city in 1873 and 1930, thereby expanding the park to the current 399 acres (161 ha).
Howard and his wife are buried in the Howard Tomb, a stone monument which overlooks Grenadier Pond. The cairn was designed by Howard, and the fence gate for the cairn was originally fromSt Paul's Cathedralin London and had been designed by the famous architectChristopher Wren.It dates from 1714, and Howard had it shipped from London in 1875.[2]
The building is now a museum run by the City of Toronto. The museum displays the house and furnishings of the 1800s, using much of the Howards' own furnishings and artworks. The museum holds an annual Harvest Festival, plus summer and March break camps for children. Annually at Hallowe'en, guides put on a "Haunted Walk" that discusses legends of ghost appearances at the Lodge.[3]
See also
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edit- Cruikshank, Tom.Old Toronto Houses.Toronto: Firefly Books, 2003.
- Denby William and William Kilbourn.Toronto Observed.Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1986.
- ^"Archived copy".Archived fromthe originalon 20 March 2012.Retrieved9 March2011.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)Ontario Heritage Trust, Colborne Lodge, 1836. - ^"The Story of a Fence".highparknature.org. Archived fromthe originalon 16 August 2016.Retrieved7 July2016.
- ^"Hallowe-en Galleries".Toronto Star.26 October 2006. p. G2.
External links
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