Home » Blog » Colborne Lodge

Colborne Lodge costumed interpreters Alice and Caitlyn making us laugh with historical tall tales, on a beautiful August evening
Colborne Lodge costumed interpreters Alice and Caitlyn making us laugh with historical tall tales, on a beautiful August evening

Colborne Lodge

Colborne Lodge is the fourth of the ten City of Toronto Museums I’ve visited this year (after Gibson House, Market Gallery, and Scarborough Museum).

Last year a friend and I had the privilege of a private tour of the interior, due to our being the only walk-ins at the time on the freezingest Sunday in January. So this time I decided to join an after-work guided walk in High Park (preceded by a visit to High Park Zoo), ending at Colborne Lodge, called Ghosts & Grenadiers – Tales of the Howards in High Park.

Interpreters Alice and Caitlyn outside Colborne Lodge. (Yes, they showed us how their hoop skirts worked.)
Interpreters Alice and Caitlyn outside Colborne Lodge. (Yes, they showed us how their hoop skirts worked.)

It was a fabulous evening. Beautiful weather, great stories, charming and talented leaders. Here was the description of the event.

Come on a twilight walk and hear some little-known stories of High Park. The cool breeze, the leafy shade of the trees and the setting sun will provide the perfect backdrop.

Learn about natural features of the park and how they’ve changed over thousands of years, stop by Grenadier Pond to share theories about the origins of its name, and have an eerie interlude at the Howard Tomb near the south end of the park.

We’ll conclude with some behind-the-scenes ghost stories and a Victorian fruit drink inside Colborne Lodge.

Howard Tomb at Colborne Lodge featuring 1714 Sir Christopher Wren railing from St. Paul's Cathedral, London (!!!)
Howard Tomb at Colborne Lodge featuring 1714 Sir Christopher Wren railing from St. Paul’s Cathedral, London (!!!)

I recall reading that the iron railing surrounding the tomb designed by John Howard (owner of Colborne Lodge) for himself and his wife, Jemima, came from London. It floored me again to hear the story of the origin of the railing.

The memorial is located on consecrated ground, and is surrounded by a cast iron rod railing that was originally designed by Sir Christopher Wren for the enclosure of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. The railing was mounted at the Cathedral for 160 years until it was purchased by John Howard in 1874.

Much of railing was lost in a shipwreck in the St. Lawrence River, however one section was salvaged and transported to Toronto where it was installed around the tomb in High Park.City of Toronto: Colborne Lodge Architectural Value

Fishing of an evening in Grenadier Pond, High Park
Fishing of an evening in Grenadier Pond, High Park

The walk was a great excuse to see parts of High Park I’d never visited before, including the Hillside Gardens and Grenadier Pond. It’s thanks to John and Jemima Howard, who gifted the park’s 165 acres to the City of Toronto along with their Colborne Lodge estate, that visitors can enjoy this extensive and beautiful public space.

Colborne Lodge is museum no. 37 in my #100museums challenge (see 100 Museums Challenge).