Just west of 'Rosetta's Gardens' is the Toronto Hunt Club which purchased the property in 1895. The property, which extends from Kingston Road to the lake shore hasn't been used in hunting activities since the 1930's when it became a private golf club.
I spoke to the Vice President of the Hunt Club to ask him a few questions about membership and whether I could take some pictures inside. He told me a basic membership was $39,000 / per year! He also mentioned that the 'Hunt Club' had put millions of dollars into cleaning up and revamping the lake front and the results were so good, others followed suit as an example. So we wanted to have a peek at the 'modeled' beaches at the base of the bluffs to see how it looked.
We slid down the side of a very steep embankment (south end of Warden Avenue), roughly 30 metres down, followed by a few men who told me to 'take my time'. It was smooth in some places, with the odd flat landing to rest before continuing. Obviously going the right way, (as others were doing the same thing), I was pretty scared doing this (and I don't scare easily). This was a private beach area so this would explain the unusual challenge getting to it. I wouldn't be coming back up this way because I have already planned my route out to check out the R.C. Harris Filtration Plant west of here.
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| wha? |
Finally at the bottom, we see shoreline, pristine beaches, a few scattered sunbathers, some rock piles, and no wait...what are they wearing? What is everyone not wearing is a better question? It would seem entering west of Cresentwood Park and into the shoreline that followed, I was overdressed! Quickly I put away my camera so they wouldn't think I was creeping them!
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| looks kinda sad to me |
The Vice President at the Hunt Club, must have forgotten to mention this to me....:)
Off note: The pictures for the Toronto Hunt Club will come at a later date. Busy season (no doubt.. :)
Since we seem to be progressively traveling westward on the Waterfront trail these days, I thought I'd post a bit about the Rosetta McClain Gardens located about a kilometre west of the Scarborough Bluffs (Bluffers Park), just south of Kingston Road. Passing through the wrought iron gates of Rosetta McClain Gardens, you will enter into 40 acres of nostalgic history. You see, way back in 1904, Thomas McDonald West, owner and operator of the J & J Taylor Company had purchased the 40 acre farm overlooking Scarborough Bluffs. Thomas and his wife Emma had divided the land among their four children, Joseph McDonald, William Needham, Howard Thomas and Rosetta.
Rosetta died close to Christmas of 1940 and left her husband behind for almost 20 years. During that time, her husband and brother had made many historical landscape improvements to the property that she loved so much. In 1959, her husband offered the property to the City of Toronto as parkland in her memory. In 1977 the land was conveyed the the Metropolitan Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and combined with portions of the J.M. and H.T. West property. Today, Toronto owns 23 acres of the historical landscape as part of its parks system. Of the 23 acres, you will find rock fountains, arranged as such to allow you touch the the cascading water, textured paths, scent gardens, raised planters, and of course unique gardens.
On this particular day, there were wedding photographs being taken using the lush floral arrangements as backdrops. On the far southern point of the gardens you will see a beautiful view of the Scarborough bluffs from a clear vantage that will allow your imagination to slip back into a time when the family had owned a farm on the grounds. It must have been such an amazing place to live.
We slid down the side of a very steep embankment (south end of Warden Avenue), roughly 30 metres down, followed by a few men who told me to 'take my time'. It was smooth in some places, with the odd flat landing to rest before continuing. Obviously going the right way, (as others were doing the same thing), I was pretty scared doing this (and I don't scare easily). This was a private beach area so this would explain the unusual challenge getting to it. I wouldn't be coming back up this way because I have already planned my route out to check out the R.C. Harris Filtration Plant west of here.
