A Walk Through Walkerville

If you're looking for an interesting day trip from London, Windsor might not be your first thought. But a recent excursion to Canada's Automotive Capital made for an enjoyable day out. 

Why? Most of the day was spent in Walkerville, Windsor's answer to London's own Wortley Village. That is, a heritage neighbourhood filled with older buildings that have been adapted into restaurants, antique shops, quaint boutiques, and pubs. The neighbourhood has lots of examples of architectural reuse, including a Bank of Montreal that's become a restaurant/club (left) and the old whiskey storage facility that's now Walkerville Brewery. (For a glimpse of the latter, see the end of this post.)

For those not familiar with Walkerville, it was founded by distiller Hiram Walker, producer of Canadian Club Whisky, and became a town in 1890. Walker oversaw much of this "company town" himself, even building housing for his workers. It was annexed by Windsor in 1935, by which time industry had diversified to include the automotive industry. 

Despite its incorporation into a larger city, Walkerville has a small town feel. Its main thoroughfare is Wyandotte Street, filled with thriving independent businesses that manage to feel old-fashioned and hip at the same time. My friend and I had lunch was on the patio of The Kildare House, an Irish-style pub filled with lovely dark woodwork. I also need to recommend Biblioasis, not only because they're my publisher, but because what's a fun neighbourhood without a good indie bookstore? 

After lunch, a walk through some of the side streets led to some magnificent old houses like Willistead (right), home of Hiram's second son Edward.  The mansion, designed by Detroit  architect Albert Kahn in the 16th-century Tudor style, was built 1904-06, and really looks like a piece of Old England transferred into Canada's southernmost city. The Windsor municipal government wanted to tear it down in the 1970s but, fortunately, wiser heads prevailed and this 36-room mansion is now a banquet hall surrounded by Willistead Park. 

Surrounding Willistead are other lovely houses, including more designed by Kahn, all nestled among tall trees providing much needed shade for an afternoon walk in July. Altogether, Walkerville contains Windsor's largest concentration of heritage homes, so it's the perfect neighbourhood for architectural buffs to ooooh and aaaah over. The homes are well-preserved, displaying obvious pride of ownership. I think I might have seen one or two B&Bs, something to keep in mind if I decide my next trip needs to be more than a day.  

The only ambiance spoiler, while dining outside on Wyandotte, was the noise from the non-stop trucks headed for the US border tunnel. By non-stop I mean about a hundred transports an hour. My friend, originally from Windsor, assured me it's been like that for decades. My first thought was that all these trucks should be rerouted so I can hear myself think. Unfortunately, Windsor has very few other routes for the truck drivers to take. When  the tunnel was built in 1930, city planners wouldn't have imagined the number of trucks there'd be in the future.

So there you have it. A unique, fascinating - albeit noisy - heritage hotspot within a two-hour drive, recommended by Jenny. Here's to the town Hiram built! 

Update, November 2024:

OK, I've been back, and this time visited the Walkerville Brewery. Now this may not be of interest to those of you not into craft beers (what the heck's the matter with you, anyway?) but, for those of us who are, the brewery is worth a stop. The first incarnation, founded by Hiram Walker, operated from 1885 to 1956. A new company with the same name started up in 1998 but declared bankruptcy in 2007. Re-imagined in 2012, Walkerville Brewing Company is successfully serving lager, stout, pilsener, doppelbock, and, my personal favourite, IPA. The current owner is Mike Brkovich.

The brewery is located in Distillery Square, the centre of the neighbourhood many Windsor residents hope will revive their core and serve as an example to the rest of the city. Brkovich and the Rosati Group are partnering on an ambitious multi-use development expected to transform Walkerville’s commercial core into the Distillery District envisioned by city politicians.

I've mentioned elsewhere the big connection between craft breweries and history. But not every brewery is as into it as Walkerville. These guys display local antiques (and probable reproductions) in their mini-museum lobby, making me feel like I'd dropped right into Windsor'as past:

Sure they're into heritage. It says so right on their vehicle:

The Craft Beer Local History Connection

 

No, I didn't drink these all at once. Not that it hasn't been tempting during this past year of pandemic.

Actually, this can collection illustrates a point, which is that there's lots of craft breweries (and cideries) in Southwestern Ontario and many of them are featuring local history on their cans. Which is interesting for me because beer and history are two of my favourite things. They both give me a "buzz." 

Craft beer is an extraordinary phenomenon with new small breweries popping up all the time.  Our society is rejecting large-scale production by multinationals, in brewing at least. London's very own Labatt may be one of the largest brewers in Canada but it's now Belgian-owned (I think - the number of mergers in recent years makes it hard to keep track) and many of us prefer to support smaller, locally-owned businesses. 

It makes sense for smaller breweries to feature local history, landmarks, and folklore on their cans. It gives their product a uniqueness and character companies like Labatt can no longer claim. Those of us who buy the bevvy not only enjoy a refreshing drink but learn something while we're at it. Observe the following: 

Toboggan Holy Roller

Toboggan, based on London's Richmond Row, takes its name from a toboggan slide built nearby in the 1800s. This particular lager, though, features the First Hussars' Sherman tank, Holy Roller, which sits across the street in Victoria Park. Holy Roller landed in Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944 and has been in the park since 1956 and is recently refurbished. According to the Toboggan website, a portion of beer sales goes towards preserving the tank and supporting Canadian veterans, both worthy goals.

Railway City Crew

The city of St. Thomas, Elgin County, is the "Railway City," having once been Canada's railway capital. According to the city's tourist website, a total of eight railways brought in more than one hundred trains a day in 1914. Every freight train in the old days had a "crew," of course, usually consisting of a conductor, two trainmen or brakemen, an engineer, and a fireman. 

But for most of us, St. Thomas is the city that killed an elephant:

Railway City Dead Elephant

Poor Jumbo. P. T. Barnum's circus elephant was killed in St. Thomas on September 15, 1885. He had just finished his performance that evening and was being led to his box car when a train came roaring down the track. He was hit and fatally wounded, dying within minutes. 

Sad story, but a nice I.P.A.

Doc Perdue's Boxing Bruin by Cowbell

A little farther afield, up in Blyth, Huron County, Cowbell Brewing Co. pays tribute to a nineteenth-century veterinarian, Doc Perdue, who rescued and cared for animals, including a bear cub named Bruin. According to the can, when Bruin grew up, Perdue featured him in impromptu boxing exhibitions.  

Powerhouse 

Back in London, you can find Powerhouse Brewery in the repurposed Kellogg's Factory in Old East Village. The brewery takes its name from its home in the electrical facility of the old cereal factory, proudly pictured on all their cans. The Kellogg's plant closed in 2014, ending the company's 100-year presence in London. 

Toboggan Blackfriars Bridge

Just found Blackfriars Bridge stout in a can. Features London's very own recently-refurbished Blackfriars Bridge which, of course, is not far from Toboggan itself. The bridge has been portrayed in many artistic works, including a series of stained glass windows by Ted Goodden, but it was about time it appeared on a beer can. One of my favourites. 

Black Donnellys Vigilante Session IPA

When many people think of local history, they think of the Donnellys. Black Donnellys Brewing Co., near Mitchell, pays tribute to the Donnelly family with this IPA. "Trouble's brewing." Indeed.