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: