Toronto has had some beautiful residential estates over the past 200 years. Some of them are lost, while others still survive. This presentation will open the doors of some of these old homes for you, so you can imagine the grandeur in which some Torontonians once lived.

These days, Toronto’s most well known grand estate is Casa Loma, “the castle on the hill”. It has a storied history and is a popular tourist attraction in our contemporary city. However, there are dozens of other old homes and estates that once graced the city. From the first brick houses that started appearing in Toronto in the early 1800s, to some of the city’s most palatial Edwardian residences, this presentation illustrates some of the most stately halls and rooms that Toronto has ever had to offer.

There were a series of homes in Toronto that were built for Ontario’s lieutenant governors. They were built to be a source of pride for the people of Ontario.

Many official receptions, dinners and garden parties were held at these homes, right up until 1937, when our last viceregal residence, Chorley Park, was closed for good. Chorley Park is an oft-lamented landmark. It looked like a French châteaux built right in the heart of Rosedale. Looking back at photographs of Chorley Park will make you feel like you are stepping into Downton Abbey, right in the middle of Toronto.