The Guild Inn's Garden of Ruins

       Recently, we travelled to Scarborough in Toronto to visit the Guild Inn. The inn itself is in need of repairs and is in fact fenced off so that you can't see inside. It was originally built in 1914 by General Harold C. Bickford and the house was called Ranelagh Park.
       In 1932, Rosa and Spencer Clark bought the house and its 162 hectares of property and established the Guild of All Arts to help artists get through the Depression years by supplying them with a place to do their crafts.
       The guild grew and the house was expanded until it became known as a resort called The Guild Inn. The inn is not much to look at today because of its state of decay. What is impressive is the actual grounds themselves. In 1947, the couple became concerned with the fact that many of Toronto's heritage buildings were being demolished. To preserve some of  the city's history, they purchased several remnants from these buildings and placed them in a formal garden setting upon the property.
       There are sixty or more pieces of  Toronto history now in the gardens. The most impressive is in the first photograph below. It is called the Greek Theatre which was built in 1981 and consists of 8 of the original 21 Corinthian capitals and columns from the Bank of Toronto built in 1912 and torn down in 1966.
        In 1978 the gardens were taken over by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority.This is a great place to visit, especially for anyone interested in part of Toronto's architectural past. The gardens are located on Guildwood Parkway, south of Kingston Road.