Residence and estate.

Details of Site Location: Lot 35, Concession A of Scarborough Township south of Kingston Road.

Boundary History: The estate lands were in a Broken Front Concession and ran south from Kingston Road to the lake. The western boundary line of the property was also the boundary line between Scarborough and York Townships.

Current Use of Property: Houses and a section of Victoria Park Avenue south of Kingston Road.

Historical Description: Lot 35 in Concession A was originally a Clergy Reserve granted to King’s College in 1835. It was purchased in 1848 by Dr. Orlando S. Winstanley. Two years later, Peter Paterson bought approximately 50 acres running south from Kingston Road to the lake and built a rambling two-storey house called Blantyre Park. Paterson leased 14 acres of his estate lands, and a recreation and amusement park was opened on them in 1878. In 1892, Archbishop John Walsh purchased the house and 18 acres of land from Paterson and opened St. John’s Industrial School there. The amusement park on the leased land was expropriated by the city and the Forest School was opened there by the Board of Education in 1912. The Forest School was closed in 1934 and the property redeveloped with the R.C. Harris Water Filtration Plant.

Relative Importance: This estate land has a rich and greatly varied history, all of which has played a role in the city’s development. But it all began with the original land grant, Clergy Reserve, and Blantyre house. The house is remembered in the street that bears its name, but there is nothing to tell either local residents or visitors why it has the name. Victoria Park on the west side recalls the amusement park without explaining what or where it was.

Planning Implications: It would be best to mount a plaque in which both can be explained, preferably at the southeast corner of Kingston Road and Victoria Park. If this is not feasible, then the plaque should be mounted at Kingston Road and Blantyre Avenue on the south side of the intersection. Some street railway history is involved with Victoria Park and should be included on the plaque.

Reference Sources: Barraranne Boyer, The Boardwalk Album – Memories of the Beach (1985).

Acknowledgement: Maps Project.