Residence.

Details of Site Location: The east side of Sherbourne Street between Carlton and Howard Streets.

Boundary History: The estate was originally the western half of Park Lot 4, which means an estate of 50 acres from Queen to Bloor Street. The house and grounds occupied only a portion of the acreage and faced Sherbourne Street.

Current Use of Property: An apartment block and parking lot, soon scheduled to become a community centre.

Historical Description: Samuel Ridout bought Park Lot 4 from the estate of John White in 1818. Then Thomas Gibbs Ridout bought the western half of his half-brother Samuel’s property. Thomas then opened a road along the west lot line in conjunction with William Allan; Allan gave a 20-foot strip along the east side of his farm and Ridout gave a 30- foot strip. Ridout then asked the city to name the combined strips Sherborne Street. The change in spelling crept in inadvertently. Ridout proceeded to sell off most of his Sherborne Street frontage, reserving a large section for himself between Carlton and Howard. Thomas Ridout was the third son of Thomas Ridout, who had come to York by way of Maryland in 1794. The father had filled a number of positions including Commissary, Surveyor General, and Registrar. Thomas Gibbs Ridout, born in 1792, was educated at Dr. Strachan’s School, and was then appointed Deputy Assistant Commissioner General for Upper Canada during the War of 1812. He stayed in that position until he retired on half-pay in 1820. He married Ann Sullivan, but she died in 1832 leaving him two sons and a daughter. He then married Matilda-Ann Bromley and had another five daughters and six sons. In 1822, Ridout became Cashier for the newly formed Bank of Upper Canada. In 1857, he began building a grand home, which he called Sherborne Villa, after his father’s birthplace in Dorset, England. The Italianate villa was designed by Frederick Cumberland, who was married to Mrs. Ridout’s sister. It was an enormous white brick house. In the late 1850s the Bank of Upper Canada had a financial crisis and Ridout was forced to sell his house before construction had been completed. Thomas Gibbs Ridout died on 29 July 1861. He left behind a widow and twelve children. In 1867, Henry S. Howland, an industrialist with railroad interests, bought Sherborne Villa and lived there for twenty years. The next owner, Senator George Cox, a wealthy financier, bought the property in 1888. During the Cox era, the house was used frequently for lavish parties. Guests were received in the drawing room or music room, both of which had 15-foot ceilings and walls papered with watered green silk. The dining room had rich oak wains-cotting and wine-hued tooled Italian leather walls above. A stained glass skylight illuminated the impressive staircase. Cox lived at Sherborne Villa until he died in 1914. For two years of the Robert Simpson Company used the house as a residence for out-of-town women employees. It was next bought by the city in 1964, then demolished.

Relative Importance: Sherborne Villa is one example of the great estate houses built during a bygone era. Today, very few of these houses still stand to remind the public of an age of elegance. It is also important as one of the many former great houses on Sherbourne Street, which was at one time, with Jarvis Street, the very best address in the city. Of all of the beautiful houses on Sherbourne Street, it was this one which gave its name to the street.

Planning Implications: It is recommended that a plaque be required as part of the construction costs of the new community centre, when it is built. The plaque should be mounted on an exterior wall so that all passers by can benefit from it. The plaque should explain the Villa and its history, Ridout in the context of this illustrious family, and the origin of the street and its name.

Reference Sources: City of Toronto Archives; Toronto Reference Library; Goad’s Atlas (1884, 1890).

Acknowledgements: Maps Project.