Ashbridge Estate
Encyclopedia
The Ashbridge Estate is an historic home in the east end of Toronto. The building is located on Queen Street East near Coxwell Avenue in the Ashbridge's neighbourhood, Toronto between Leslieville
and The Beaches
. It is the earliest known site of residential inhabitation in the east Toronto area.
. Sarah Ashbridge was the head of the household and brought with her an extended family, 2 unmarried sons, 3 daughters--one unmarried--2 with husbands and family in tow. Sarah Ashbridge was a widow.
They were granted some 600 acres (2.4 km²), stretching from Lake Ontario
to Danforth Avenue
. After clearing the land, it became a profitable farm. The family remained on the site until 1997, the only family in the history of Toronto to have retained the same property for more than 200 years.
As the city of Toronto expanded eastward and encroached on the estate, the Ashbridges sold off much of their land. The Duke of Connaught Public School (1912) and S.H. Armstrong Community Recreation Centre were built on land that had been the Ashbridge's orchard. Woodfield Road, on the east side of the current property, was originally the farm lane going to the fields farther north.
By the 1920s the property owned by the family had shrunk to the 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) that now make up the estate. It was donated to the Ontario Heritage Trust
by the family in 1972, but the last member of the family continued living there until 1997.
A number of localities in the area are named after the Ashbridges. Just to the south of the house is Jonathan Ashbridge Park, while slightly to the east is Sarah Ashbridge Avenue. The bay that marked the southern edge of the property is now known as Ashbridge's Bay. On the east and north sides of the bay is the large Ashbridge's Bay Park. Ashbridge's Bay Park North, to the north of the bay, is the site of the Ashbridge's Bay Skate Park, opened in 2009. The west side of the bay is the location of the Ashbridge's Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant, Toronto's main sewage treatment plant.
"This property was home to one family for two centuries. Sarah Ashbridge and her family moved here from Pennsylvania and began clearing land in 1794. Two years later they were granted 600 acres (243 hectares) between Ashbridge's Bay and present day Danforth Avenue. The Ashbridges prospered as farmers until Toronto suburbs began surrounding their land in the 1880s. They sold all but this part of their original farm by the 1920s. Donated to the Ontario Heritage Foundation in 1972, it was the family estate until 1997. As they changed from pioneers to farmers to professionals over 200 years on this property, the Ashbridges personified Ontario's development from agricultural frontier to urban industrial society."
, who would later serve as Mayor of Toronto. The second storey was added in 1899. The site is also home to a number of smaller outbuildings. The estate was home to extensive gardens, but recently the Ontario Heritage Trust
which owns the property has replaced some of the garden areas with grass.
Current tenants of the house include the Ontario Society of Artists and the Ontario Archaeological Society
.
Leslieville
Leslieville is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada east of the Don River bounded by the Canadian National railway line and Gerrard Street to the north, Empire Avenue to the west, Eastern Avenue to south, and Coxwell Avenue to the east.-History:...
and The Beaches
The Beaches
The Beaches is a neighbourhood and popular tourist destination located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the east side of the "Old" City of Toronto. The original boundaries of the neighbourhood are from Fallingbrook Avenue on the east to Kingston Road on the north, to Woodbine Avenue...
. It is the earliest known site of residential inhabitation in the east Toronto area.
History
The Ashbridge family came from Pennsylvania to what was then an area outside of YorkYork, Upper Canada
York was the name of Old Toronto between 1793 and 1834. It was the second capital of Upper Canada.- History :The town was established in 1793 by Governor John Graves Simcoe, with a new 'Fort York' on the site of the last French 'Fort Toronto'...
. Sarah Ashbridge was the head of the household and brought with her an extended family, 2 unmarried sons, 3 daughters--one unmarried--2 with husbands and family in tow. Sarah Ashbridge was a widow.
They were granted some 600 acres (2.4 km²), stretching from Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
to Danforth Avenue
Danforth Avenue
Danforth Avenue is an east-west arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its western end begins in Old Toronto from the Prince Edward Viaduct as a continuation of Bloor Street and continues through East York until intersecting with Kingston Road in Scarborough...
. After clearing the land, it became a profitable farm. The family remained on the site until 1997, the only family in the history of Toronto to have retained the same property for more than 200 years.
As the city of Toronto expanded eastward and encroached on the estate, the Ashbridges sold off much of their land. The Duke of Connaught Public School (1912) and S.H. Armstrong Community Recreation Centre were built on land that had been the Ashbridge's orchard. Woodfield Road, on the east side of the current property, was originally the farm lane going to the fields farther north.
By the 1920s the property owned by the family had shrunk to the 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) that now make up the estate. It was donated to the Ontario Heritage Trust
Ontario Heritage Trust
The Ontario Heritage Trust is a non-profit agency of the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Culture, responsible for protecting, preserving and promoting the built, natural and cultural heritage of Canada's most populous province. It was initially known as the Archaeological and Historic Sites Board...
by the family in 1972, but the last member of the family continued living there until 1997.
A number of localities in the area are named after the Ashbridges. Just to the south of the house is Jonathan Ashbridge Park, while slightly to the east is Sarah Ashbridge Avenue. The bay that marked the southern edge of the property is now known as Ashbridge's Bay. On the east and north sides of the bay is the large Ashbridge's Bay Park. Ashbridge's Bay Park North, to the north of the bay, is the site of the Ashbridge's Bay Skate Park, opened in 2009. The west side of the bay is the location of the Ashbridge's Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant, Toronto's main sewage treatment plant.
Historic plaque
The Ontario Heritage Trust plaque on the estate reads:"This property was home to one family for two centuries. Sarah Ashbridge and her family moved here from Pennsylvania and began clearing land in 1794. Two years later they were granted 600 acres (243 hectares) between Ashbridge's Bay and present day Danforth Avenue. The Ashbridges prospered as farmers until Toronto suburbs began surrounding their land in the 1880s. They sold all but this part of their original farm by the 1920s. Donated to the Ontario Heritage Foundation in 1972, it was the family estate until 1997. As they changed from pioneers to farmers to professionals over 200 years on this property, the Ashbridges personified Ontario's development from agricultural frontier to urban industrial society."
Currently
The main house is the oldest surviving building on the property, and dates to 1854. It was designed by local architect Joseph SheardJoseph Sheard
Joseph Sheard was a Canadian architect and politician. He was Mayor of Toronto from 1871 to 1872.Born in Hornsea, near Hull, Yorkshire, England, his father died when he was only 6 weeks old, leaving 4 young children to be raised by his mother...
, who would later serve as Mayor of Toronto. The second storey was added in 1899. The site is also home to a number of smaller outbuildings. The estate was home to extensive gardens, but recently the Ontario Heritage Trust
Ontario Heritage Trust
The Ontario Heritage Trust is a non-profit agency of the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Culture, responsible for protecting, preserving and promoting the built, natural and cultural heritage of Canada's most populous province. It was initially known as the Archaeological and Historic Sites Board...
which owns the property has replaced some of the garden areas with grass.
Current tenants of the house include the Ontario Society of Artists and the Ontario Archaeological Society
Ontario Archaeological Society
The Ontario Archaeological Society is a registered charitable organization promoting the ethical practice of archaeology within the Province of Ontario, Canada. It is a public and professional society formed in 1950....
.