Drawing a million visitors annually, High Park is the jewel of Toronto’s park system. It is recognized as one of the most significant natural sites within our city, with more than one third of its 399 acres remaining in its natural state. Whether you’re touring the park on bike, blades or by foot this summer, be sure to stop by picturesque Colborne Lodge in the park’s south side for journey back in time to the 19th century.
Colborne Lodge is a unique and lovely place steeped in history. Once home to John and Jemima Howard, founders of High Park, today it’s a monument to the way life that existed 180 years ago. Cheryl Hart, Supervisor at Colborne Lodge offers these historical facts bout the quaint cottage-turned-museum she oversees daily.
In the early 1830s the Howards built their small, rural home on their beautiful, big property overlooking Lake Ontario. They lived here until the 1890s, at which time they bequeathed both their property and house to the city of Toronto as a public park.
At the time the Howards had 165 acres (making up the centre of the Park), then the city purchased property on the east and the west side, shortly after which brought it up to nearly 400 acres.
The home is still outfitted with many of its original furnishings and best of all, watercolour paintings that John Howard painted himself of early Toronto.
Colborne Lodge is located on the south side of the park in a beautiful, natural setting. Other features of the vicinity include Grenadier pond, a children’s adventure area, the animal paddocks, Grenadier café and the Nature Centre.
