Featured Picture of the Day (July 18 11)
Mansion and Sky
Mansion and Sky
The Eaton family, upscale owners of the T. Eaton Company department store chain, originally owned what was a 700 acre farm in King City, Ontario — about a 30 minute drive from Toronto. The remodelled farmhouse on the property served the family for weekend barbecues and picnics, but Lady Eaton wanted a large country home and Eaton Hall was built by 1938, designed like a French chateau using the brownish-grey stones from the nearby Humber River.
It is modelled after a Norman French chateau with rounded turrets and grand halls, and though it originally started as a summer residence and working farm it became a focal point for steeplechase days, hunter trials and a place for the Toronto and North York Hunt Club meets. During the Second World War Eaton Hall served first as a refuge for British children who had been sent to Canada to escape the London bombings and later the Royal Canadian Navy was given use of the house and grounds as a burn convalescent hospital and rehabilitation centre. Lady Eaton donated the funds for all the medications and staff. At war’s end, Eaton Hall returned to its role as a private residence and working farm. By 1971 it was purchased and used by one of Canada’s outstanding community colleges, Seneca College. By the summer of 1991 it became a more public hotel and conference centre and is a popular destination for corporate meetings.
Eaton Hall is likely now the second largest castle/chateau in The GTA. Any guesses on what the #1 castle is? You’ll see it in a future episode of TLTV. Stay tuned!
The Eaton family, upscale owners of the T. Eaton Company department store chain, originally owned what was a 700 acre farm in King City, Ontario — about a 30 minute drive from Toronto. The remodelled farmhouse on the property served…