Discover Toronto's history as told through its plaques

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A Bit of England Far From England

Photo by Emilia Jajus - Posted September, 2015

Photo by Alan L Brown - Posted September, 2015

A mural covers both the east and west sides of the railway overpass over Royal York Road just north of Dundas Street West. The mural was painted in 2015 by Emilia Jajus with the assistance of Emanuel Ciobanica, De Anne Lamirande and Sara Sader. Community Partners include StreetARToronto, The Sherwin-Williams Company, JDS Caulking & Restoration Ltd and the Etobicoke Historical Society. This 2015 plaque can be found on the west side of the overpass. A second plaque on the east side can be seen farther down the page as well as photos of sections of the mural taken by John Stevenson. Here's what this plaque says:

Coordinates: 43.658889 -79.516583

Click here for a larger map

This 24 by 5 m mural portrays the beautiful Tudor Revival style homes of Humber Valley Village and The Kingsway, set in park-like surroundings and inhabited by people with strong family values.

In the early 1900s, Robert Home Smith (1877-1935), financier and real estate developer, began the transformation of the 1200 ha of land he has acquired along the Humber River into high-end subdivisions. The Old Mill Inn and the stone arch bridge nearby sprang from Home Smith's designs. His motto "A BIT OF ENGLAND FAR FROM ENGLAND" symbolized his objective of creating Toronto suburbs of serenity through English Tudor Revival architecture.

The Old Mill Inn (1914) and the valley in which it sits, have long been a part of the Canadian story. During the First World War, the original wooden bridge was washed out in a storm. In 1916, during the lean war years, a beautiful new stone arch bridge was quickly constructed to replace it, thanks to Home Smith's efforts. Today, this area located to the east of the mural along the Humber River continues to be a very desirable destination for leisure and recreation.

Photo by Emilia Jajus - Posted September, 2015

Photo by John Stevenson - Posted September, 2015

Here's what the second plaque has to say:

This 24 by 5 m mural is a collage of historically significant community landmarks located close by in the Bloor Street West, Dundas Street West and Royal York Road neighbourhoods. Notice how the autumn sunset illuminates these important places:

The Kingsway pillar on the south and Humber Valley Village stone on the north indicate figuratively that this bridge underpass connects these two neighbourhoods.

Montgomery's Inn (1830) further west on Dundas Street West was built of stone by Thomas and Margaret Montgomery in a Georgian style and it operates today as a City of Toronto museum.

Kingsway Theatre (1939) situated on Bloor Street West was billed as a "modern picture palace" with its exterior of shiny black vitrolite glass and polished aluminum when it first opened. Adults paid 20¢ and kids 10¢ to see two films, a cartoon, and a newsreel. Renovated in 2009, the theatre is still a popular local venue.

Humbertown Plaza (1956) just north of this bridge is an important and local shopping centre with artisan shops, fashion boutiques, specialty foods, personal care shops and several professional services.

James Gardens (Ca.1908) located north of this site is home to a botanical garden created by Frederick and Margaret James. The garden surrounded their 1927 summer home "Red Gables" on 8.5 ha of hills, forest and valley along the Humber River. Following their deaths, it was opened to the public as a public park in 1955.

Here is a selection of John Stevenson's photos of the mural