Ardwold was the residence of

Sir John Craig Eaton Sir John Craig Eaton (April 28, 1876 – March 30, 1922) was a Canadian businessman and a member of the prominent Eaton family. Life and career He was born in Toronto, Ontario, the youngest son of department store magnate Timothy Eaton and hi ...

and Lady Eaton of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. Sir John was the youngest son of

Timothy Eaton Timothy Eaton (March 1834 – 31 January 1907) was an Irish businessman who founded the Eaton's department store, one of the most important retail businesses in Canada's history. Early life and family He was born in Ballymena, County Antrim, Hi ...

, the founder of the T. Eaton Company Department Store, or

Eaton's The T. Eaton Company Limited, later known as Eaton's, was a Canadian department store chain that was once the largest in the country. It was founded in 1869 in Toronto by Timothy Eaton, an immigrant from what is now Northern Ireland. Eaton's grew ...

, and he inherited the business and became its president upon his father's death in 1907. Sir John was one of the wealthiest men in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, and in 1909 he commissioned a home to be built on "The Hill", a name used to describe the neighbourhood on the Davenport Hill in Toronto where many wealthy families built their homes. Casa Loma, built by

Henry Pellatt Major general, Major-General Sir Henry Mill Pellatt, Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, CVO (January 6, 1859 – March 8, 1939) was a Canadian financier and soldier. He is notable for his role in bringing hydro-electricity to Toronto for the ...

and the largest private house ever constructed in Canada, was near Ardwold, as were

Spadina House Spadina Museum: Historic House & Gardens, also known as Spadina House (), is a historic mansion at 285 Spadina Road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that is now a historic house museum operated by the City of Toronto's Economic Development & Culture ...

, the mansion of

James Austin James Austin may refer to: Sports * Jim Austin (baseball) (born 1963), former baseball pitcher * Jim Austin (rugby league), New Zealand rugby league player * James Austin (judoka) (born 1983), English judoka * James Austin (American football) (19 ...

, and Glenedyth, the estate of

Samuel Nordheimer Samuel Nordheimer (February 6, 1824 – June 29, 1912) was a prominent businessman and music promoter in 19th century Toronto. In part to build this business, Nordheimer became one of the most active promoters of music in Canada. He brought prom ...

. Ardwold is a Gaelic term meaning "high, green hill". The enormous

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

was designed by Toronto architect

Frank Wickson Alexander Frank Wickson (March 30, 1861 – December 22, 1936) was a prominent Toronto architect who was responsible for the design of numerous buildings, including Timothy Eaton Memorial Church, the IOOF Hall (Toronto) and the "Ardwold" mansion ...

of Wickson and Gregg Architectural firm. It was in the Georgian style, and influenced by English and Irish country homes, namely

Belton House Belton House is a Grade I listed country house in the parish of Belton near Grantham in Lincolnshire, England, built between 1685 and 1688 by Sir John Brownlow, 3rd Baronet. It is surrounded by formal gardens and a series of avenues leading t ...

in Lincolnshire. Ardwold had 50 rooms, 14 bathrooms, and its own hospital. Situated on eleven acres (45,000 m²) of landscaped grounds, which included a half-acre (2,000 m²) glassed area housing conservatory and swimming pool, Ardwold was one of the largest and most luxurious residences in Toronto and the country. Sir John Craig Eaton died in 1922, and his widow Lady Eaton kept the home until 1936, when she sold the land. Eaton moved to the enormous chateau named Eaton Hall at King City, Ontario. After an auction of much of its contents, Ardwold was blown up (the walls were too thick to use ordinary demolition methods). The property was divided into an exclusive housing development named Ardwold Gate. Only the gate lodge on Spadina Road near Austin Terrace remains.

References

External links

Ardwold and Ravenswood
– lostrivers.ca
Ardwold
– Toronto Historical Association {{coord, 43.6804, N, 79.4085, W, display=title Eaton's Houses in Toronto Demolished buildings and structures in Toronto Houses completed in 1911 Buildings and structures demolished in 1936