Castle Frank Brook is a buried creek and south-west flowing tributary of the

Don River The Don ( rus, Дон, p=don) is the fifth-longest river in Europe. Flowing from Central Russia to the Sea of Azov in Southern Russia, it is one of Russia's largest rivers and played an important role for traders from the Byzantine Empire. Its ...

in central and north-western

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 ...

, originating near the intersection of Lawrence Avenue and

Dufferin Street Dufferin Street is a major north–south street in Toronto, Vaughan and King, Ontario, Canada. It is a concession road, two concessions (4 km) west of Yonge Street. The street starts at Exhibition Place, continues north to Toronto's northe ...

. Residential and industrial development in the former suburban cities of

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

and

North York North York is one of the six administrative districts of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located directly north of York, Old Toronto and East York, between Etobicoke to the west and Scarborough to the east. As of the 2016 Census, it had a popu ...

have obliterated nearly all traces of its original course and topography in the uppermost reaches, but the original stream valley is evident in several older districts bordering the lower reaches. Sections of the lower valley include Cedarvale Park ravine, the Nordheimer Ravine near the intersection of St. Clair Avenue and

Spadina Road Spadina, originating from the Ojibwa word ''ishpadinaa'' meaning "high place/ridge", may refer to: Toronto, Ontario, Canada *Spadina House, a mansion and museum * Spadina Hotel (built 1873), a historic building *Spadina Avenue, a major street *Sp ...

, and the Rosedale Ravine just above the brook's confluence with the Don. Water still runs in short segments in Cedarvale Park and the Nordheimer Ravine but this is only a collection of

surface runoff Surface runoff (also known as overland flow) is the flow of water occurring on the ground surface when excess rainwater, stormwater, meltwater, or other sources, can no longer sufficiently rapidly infiltrate in the soil. This can occur when th ...

and ravine slope seepage. The channels are all artificially created and run into a storm sewer that carries the remnants of the brook. The southern section of

Vaughan Road Vaughan Road is a road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is a contour collector road that is parallel to a Subterranean river, buried Urban stream, creek to the north called Castle Frank Brook. Vaughan Road begins on Bathurst Street (Toronto), Bathu ...

roughly parallels the brook's course, bypassing the steep slopes of the Cedarvale ravine. The brook's topographic influence is still evident at Ramsden Park, to the north of the intersection of

Avenue Road Avenue Road is a major north–south street in Toronto, Ontario. The road is a continuation of University Avenue, linked to it via Queen's Park and Queen's Park Crescent East and West to form a single through route.''Toronto Pocket Street Atla ...

and

Davenport Road Davenport Road is an east–west arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is believed to follow an old native trail along the foot of the scarp of the old shoreline of glacial Lake Iroquois. It currently runs from Yonge Street in the eas ...

, representing the boundary of the densely developed Yorkville district. The

Toronto Transit Commission The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is the public transport agency that operates bus, subway, streetcar, and paratransit services in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, some of which run into the Peel Region and York Region. It is the oldest and largest ...

's Spadina subway line follows the path of the creek from

Eglinton West station Eglinton West is a subway station on Line 1 Yonge–University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the median of Allen Road on the north side of Eglinton Avenue West. Line 5 Eglinton will also serve Eglinton West station upon its com ...

to St. Clair West station, finally deviating southward at Spadina Road. The brook is named for the summer residence of Ontario's first colonial governor,

John Graves Simcoe John Graves Simcoe (25 February 1752 – 26 October 1806) was a British Army general and the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada from 1791 until 1796 in southern Ontario and the Drainage basin, watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior. ...

, which in turn was named for Simcoe's son, Francis Gwillim. It was built either on the west side of the

near the modern Prince Edward (Bloor) Viaduct, or on the east side of Cabbagetown near the river. The home featured a façade in the Georgian architectural style. It was abandoned when Simcoe returned to England in 1794, and burned down in 1829. Castle Frank subway station takes its name from the former residence. A second home of the same name was built north of this site by Sir Edward Kemp. It was demolished in 1962 for the current

Rosedale Heights School of the Arts Rosedale Heights School of the Arts (RHSA) is an arts-based high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. History Formerly Castle Frank, the school has been reinvented and re-purposed by Principal Barrie Sketchley. It is a non-semester school with a ...

. The site of the original summer home can be seen from aerial photos as a partially cleared area with a ring-like shape. File:Cedarvale_park_sign.jpg, Cedarvale Park File:Nordheimer Ravine.JPG, The Nordheimer Ravine, named after

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 ...

, a piano importer who lived nearby File:RusselHillEmergExit.jpg, The

Russell Hill Russell Hill may refer to: * Russell Hill (artist) (born 1988), British artist * Russell Hill (footballer) (1920–1987), Australian rules footballer * Russell Hill (war correspondent), see New York Herald Tribune * Russell Hill, Croydon, an area i ...

Emergency exit located in Winston Churchill Park File:Castle Frank Historical Marker.jpg, Historical marker, located south of

Bloor Street Bloor Street is a major east–west residential and commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct, which spans the Don River Valley, westward into Mississauga where it ends at Central Parkw ...

adjacent to Castle Frank station, was placed on the approximate site of the historic Castle Frank residence in 1954 File:Castle Frank, 1794.jpg, Map of Castle Frank File:Simcoe Castle Frank Sketch.jpg, Sketch of Castle Frank by Elizabeth Simcoe, 1796

References

* *

External links

Toronto Dreams Project Historical Ephemera Blog
(March 1, 2012)
BlogTO.com entry by Chris Bateman
(April 7, 2012) {{Toronto Waterways Don River (Ontario) Rivers of Toronto

See also

References

External links