Work continues at early 1900s house at Trafalgar Road and Derry Road

A previous post is entitled: Boarded-up early 1900s house at Trafalgar Road and Derry Road retains echoes of bygone days

House at Derry and Trafalgar, April 11, 2025. Heather B photo

The current post is a continuation of the above-noted post.

With help from site visitors Mark Tilbrook and Heather B, we now have recent updates on the ongoing work at a this heritage house.

The book Curated Decay (2017) is highlighted at the previous post. I’ve been thinking of the concept.

On April 11, 2025, Heather B took the photos I have posted today. Heather notes that in less than a week, two sides of brick have been torn down.

House at Derry and Trafalgar, April 11, 2025. Heather B photo

If anyone has an additional update about the history of the house, please let us know.

If anyone wishes to take more photos of the house as it is now, please send a selection to me at jpill@preservedstories.com – a jpeg format of about 1MB in size works well. Captions could include date of photo and name of photographer. I like to include details regarding source of photo when possible.

Glenclare Farmhouse

Mark Tilbrook has shared a link to a March 10, 2022 notice at the Corporation of the Town of Oakville website: Glenclare Farmhouse – Intention to Designate as Property of Cultural Heritage

An excerpt from the notice reads:

The Glenclare Farmhouse at 4243 Sixth Line is located on the east side of Sixth Line, north of Burnhamthorpe Road, south of Highway 407 in the Town of Oakville. The Farmhouse is a two-storey structure with stone foundation, red brick cladding, hipped roof with asphalt shingles, and contains a single-storey frame tail section with stone foundation at the rear. The Farmhouse was constructed in 1898, according to the date stone set into the front façade.

Memories of places now gone

I’ve explored another concept aside from ‘curated decay’ at a recent post about Cartierville School and the Marlborough Golf and Country Club in Montreal. I attended the latter school in the mid-195os and occasionally worked at the nearby golf course as a caddy for about $1.25 per round of golf. What I’m thinking about are the stories that remain in the memories of people connected with places now gone. These are stories well worth sharing.

House at Derry and Trafalgar, April 11, 2025. Heather B photo

The latter school and golf course in Montreal are now physically absent from the local scene. The school, which was long ago closed, burned down in 2024. The golf course was sold years ago. What remains after the physical features are gone, in particular circumstances – what remains are the memories that we have the occasion to share among us.

Earlier comments about house at Derry and Trafalgar

House at Derry and Trafalgar, April 11, 2025. Heather B photo

The earlier post about the house at Derry and Trafalgar includes, in the Comments section at the end of the post, messages from former residents of the house who share interesting reflections about the history of the building and surrounding countryside.

Derry and Trafalgar: view looking east along Derry Road, May 24, 2019. Jaan Pill photo

At another previous post, Dan McPhail of Milton (who attended same high school in Montreal as I did years ago) has commented:

Dan: It’s a nice house. When we first moved there [to Milton], there was people – when we first moved to Milton, there was a family in there.

Jaan: What year was that?

Dan: That would have been somewhere around – from 2004 to maybe 2007.

Derry and Trafalgar some months after May 24, 2019 visit. Jaan Pill photo

Jaan: That’s amazing.

Dan: And, if I can recall, they put in a swimming pool – like one of the above-ground swimming pools.

Jaan: Oh, yeah, that’s neat.

Dan: So, it wasn’t dormant that long and then, it just – and it was up for sale a couple of times.

Jaan: That’s really interesting. I looked around. There’s a few others off the main road, you know, that, again, are abandoned. But they’re beautiful houses, and you think of all the history.

Derry and Trafalgar, May 24, 2019. Jaan Pill photo

Eastwood Hotel, Bois-de-Saraguay, Small Arms Building, former Parkview School

I’m also reminded of the Eastwood Hotel in Long Branch in Toronto. The hotel is gone but the memories – as documented at a post about the hotel – live on in conversations among people who used to spend time at this hotel years ago. The latter post features photos made with a Nikon 35mm camera, of the hotel in the process of being demolished.

Derry and Trafalgar looking west toward Trafalgar Road, May 24, 2019. Jaan Pill photo

I’m also reminded of the story of how the Bois-de-Saraguay on the Island of Montreal was saved from destruction years ago.

As I was thinking about the house at Trafalgar Road and Derry Road, I was also reminded of buildings that remain intact, in some cases after close calls.

Derry and Trafalgar looking west, May 24, 2019. Jaan Pill photo

Among the stories at this website is an account of how the Small Arms Building in Mississauga was about to be demolished in 2008 but word reached Jim Tovey who contacted the City of Mississauga just in time.

Similarly, residents in Long Branch learned that the former Parkview School was liable to be demolished; the local residents worked together with the provincial government of the time to ensure the school property remained in public hands.

Derry and Trafalgar looking west toward Trafalgar, May 24, 2019. Jaan Pill photo

I’ve also spoken at this website about how heritage houses in South Etobicoke such as at 58 Wheatfield Road got to be saved as a result of local residents working together to preserve heritage properties. Another building that got saved years ago was Toronto’s Union Station.

Derry and Trafalgar some months after May 24, 2019 visit. Jaan Pill photo

I’m also reminded of how the parkland along the Avon River got to be saved years ago in Stratford, Ontario, setting the stage for the launch of the Stratford Festival in 1953.

It’s good to be involved in a collaborative effort to document the ongoing work at the house in question. The Comments section at the end of the previous post has interesting reflections about the history of the house; the updates shared by site visitors are very valuable.