Mount Pleasant Cemetery

Honor of Steve Stavros, former owner Maple Leafs

This post is in follow up to the recent trip through Rosedale Belt-line trail which continued through David Balfour Park.  In that I had indicated you could enter the trail through Mount Pleasant Cemetery from the south.  In the picture below you can see just off Moore Avenue in Toronto, where the entrance is to the belt-line trail to Moore Park Ravine on the north and Mount Pleasant on the south.  I didn't realize that I had been there before, but I began recognizing some of the familiar statues.  

In a minute or two a jogger went by, and then a couple of cyclists had pulled over to hover under an elm tree because of a sudden downpour.     The pictures appear a little moody as was the day they were taken.  Within a span of an hour there was rain, sun, wind and even hail.  I've never seen such a switch like that before, but spring in Ontario can be like that. 

Eaton Mausoleum

Mount Pleasant Cemetery on left, Moore Park on the right

Mount Pleasant Cemetery is situated from Yonge Street in the west to Bayview Avenue in the east and is divided right down the middle by Mount Pleasant Road, hence the name.  It began in 1873 as a 200 acre piece of luscious farmland with rolling hills and 12 kms of carriage drives throughout.   The setting was so unique with its distinct and rare trees and botanical gardens.   What added to its establishment and to its wonderful reputation made it a final resting place for many famous people and the grounds are said to be the most beautiful in the world.  

Royal Air Force

What made this place so special was that it was a resting place for all people.  Not just those of a specific religious denomination.  

Prior to Mount Pleasant Cemetery, believe it or not only people of Roman Catholic church were allowed to be buried within the city limits.  This is what makes the foundation of this place so beautiful.

You will be amazed by the architecture and the ruins and in fact it was designated by the National Historic society as a National Historic site in Canada in 2000.

War Monument

Some of the more famous people on the grounds are people such as Timothy Eaton (Eatons), magnate of Eatons company and Steve Stavro, founder of Knob Hill Farms, and former owner of the Leafs. There are several Mayors of Toronto, Premiers of Ontario, and other politicians like Sir Lyon MacKenzie.  My favorite scientists ever, Banting and Best and several war veterans.  

ewwww.....a worm!

The tree collection has grown into North America's finest arboretums, and with it come the birds and other wildlife, that contribute to it's park-like setting.  I still only get pictures of robins since they are the easiest.  :) Artists have created wonderful monuments and sculptures which you'll see throughout.     An epitaph on a plaque, a statue of strength and a myriad of memories of people of all walks of life.

Cullen Gardens Miniature Village

The Entrance Hall

When my two sons were little, their father and I took them to Cullen Gardens Miniature Village once or twice a year.  

I thought it might be an idea to to see whatever happened to that beautiful and wondrous place known as 'Miniature Village'.  It was a place where little people lived together in a tiny village where everyone seemed to be so happy.  

Even as an adult I was lost in the imaginative world of the miniature people, so I can imagine how it must have been for children.

Entering the village

Some pretty bullrushes

Miniature Village was set in a very adult world of breathtakingly beautiful displays of flowers and gardens.  In the summertime, the lawns were of an deep emerald colour never before seen and the trees were manicured to take on shapes of animals or birds.  

 Everything was meticulously arranged to create a small town feel in a real world setting.  In a word, it was adorable. 

A beavers doing

Sadly, as children grow up and change, so does the world around them, and we must let go of the old to make room for the new.  So, on January 1, 2006 Cullen Gardens and Miniature Village closed for good.  The land is still accessible and these pictures were taken quite recently.  It is still used by joggers and photographers alike.  Although the property is owned by the Town of Whitby, it is a municipal park for now.  Although the gardens are modestly maintained, it isn't to the extent as it once was under the former owners.  

Mind you, Cullen Gardens was in the business of selling flora, shrubs, and landscaping services; therefore their business was on display as well as their gardens.  The town of Whitby does not have the same purpose.  

a lovely creek

I don't know exactly what will happen with this land, but there are several scenarios.  One is that it may link up with the Heber Downs Conservation Area (this I hope holds true).  If you check it out on a map, it really is the best way to use the land as Heber Downs Conservation area is only a few kilometres north.   

The Lynde House - circa 1812

After a little reading up, I easily found out that May 14, 2013 (no I didn't plan this) is the closing date of the Purchase and Sale Agreement between the Town of Whitby and the Auberge et Spa Le Nordki Inn. (owners: Chelsea, Quebec).  

It appears, much to the dismay of the locals, they have bought 3 hectares of land located on the 34 hectare property formerly owned by the Cullens.  There are still 31 hectares of property left remaining.  The good news (to me) is that the current buildings will be utilized again. I would have preferred to see it as a historical site, but apparently they are transporting a few of the older buildings to a museum site (ie the Lynde house and the log cabin).  This is a great scenario.  The spa will open all year with two restaurants and a retail boutique, all within existing dwellings.  This isn't my cup of tea, but at least the area will come alive again with a new generation of people to enjoy its surroundings.

Just like yesterday's memories, we found it nostalgic that someone had stuck a poppy in the wooded bridge, so I took a picture of it to say I remember too.