Drayton is a community in Wellington County,

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. It is a part of the

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

of Mapleton. The village is on the corner of Wellington Road 8 and Wellington Road 11, geographically northwest of Fergus and southwest of

Arthur Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...

History

In 1851, the community was named after

Drayton Manor Drayton Manor, one of Britain's lost houses, was a British stately home at Drayton Bassett, since its formation in the District of Lichfield, Staffordshire, England. In modern administrative areas, it was first put into Tamworth Poor Law Union ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

, England. Drayton Manor was the home of

Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850), was a British Conservative statesman who twice was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835, 1841–1846), and simultaneously was Chancellor of the Exchequer (1834–183 ...

, former Prime Minister of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Education

Drayton is in the Upper Grand District School Board. Both Centre Peel Public School and Drayton Heights Public School (K-8) service students from the Drayton area; while high school students attend Norwell District Secondary School in nearby

Palmerston, Ontario Palmerston (local historical pronunciation: IPA �pʰæ̃.mɝ.s͡tən is an unincorporated community with a population of 2,599 on the southern edge of Minto in the northwestern part of Wellington County, Ontario, Canada. History Palmerston wa ...

. Drayton is also the home of Community Christian School, formerly known as Calvin Christian School.

Entertainment

Drayton is home to the Drayton Festival Theatre, which is a renovated 1902 Opera House that seats 375 people, and has a rich history of entertaining audiences with the finest talent in professional theatre, including legendary performers as

Beatrice Lillie Beatrice Gladys Lillie, Lady Peel (29 May 1894 – 20 January 1989) was a Canadian-born British actress, singer and comedy performer. She began to perform as a child with her mother and sister. She made her West End debut in 1914 and soon gain ...

. Alex Mustakas is the CEO and Artistic Director of Drayton Entertainment. Drayton hosts one branch of the Wellington County library system.

Healthcare

Located downtown Drayton, the Mapleton Health Centre's eight primary care physicians and four nurse practitioners service 15,000 patients. Drayton also has multiple senior's living accommodations and long-term care homes.

Media

Drayton is serviced specifically by a local newspaper The Community News, in addition to the Wellington Advertiser, a publication serving the entirety of Wellington County.

Natural disasters

On June 23, 2017, Drayton and surrounding Wellington County towns declared a state of emergency due to flooding. Over 100 mm of rain fell within 24 hours. Many roads were closed and hundreds of basements were flooded.

Recreation

Drayton contains the Agricultural Fairgrounds, Kinsmen Park, Riverside Park, Centennial Park, Rotary Park, Memorial Park, and ABC Park. There are also various sports facilities, such as the PMD Arena, a soccer field, and baseball diamonds located throughout Drayton. Children can play in the official Drayton soccer, hockey, or baseball leagues, as well as on many intramural teams in school. Adult recreational sports also take place (pickleball, skating, hockey).

Notable people

John G. FitzGerald John Gerald "Gerry" FitzGerald (December 9, 1882, in Drayton, Ontario – June 20, 1940) was a Canadian physician and public health specialist who was instrumental in the control of diphtheria, first by producing and freely distributing antitoxin, ...

(1882 – 1940), physician * Samuel Lewis Honey (1894 – 1918), soldier and posthumous recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

* Bruce Howard (1922 – 2002), politician * Alan Lund (1925 – 1992), dancer and choreographer * Alex Mustakas (???? - ), actor and theatre director * Nick Spaling (1988 – ), professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

player

References

External links

Township of Mapleton: Area History

Drayton Entertainment / Drayton Festival TheatreDrayton
at Geographical Names of Canada {{authority control Communities in Wellington County, Ontario Former villages in Ontario