Doors Open Toronto 2013 Part 1

Our Doors Open Toronto (May 25-26 2013) journey took us to two sites. The first stop was to Todmorden Mills located on Pottery Road near the DVP. This historical site was the location of a former saw mill business. Now a place for the creative arts. The original smoke stack can be seen when one travels along the DVP. An interesting aspect of this site was the fact that the residential houses on the land are the originals. The houses take people back to a time of simplicity yet very upscale for the time. Our guide informed and showed us the various rooms. The rooms that caught my interest were the bedrooms. The beds were made of wooden frames with ropes strapped across. The saying "Goodnight, Sleeptight and Don't let the bedbugs bite" way have originated during this time. The straps of the beds needed to be tighten or else someone would end up sleeping on the floor. The mattresses were filled with feathers in the winter and straw in the warmer months. Unfortunately, these fillers came with unwelcomed guests- bugs! The luxury item of the day was a toilet chair. A wooden chair was made to fit over a chamber pot. This would have been state of the art. This house belonged to the Helliwell family. Thomas Helliwell was owner of the property. The Helliwells seemed to have been of means. This is shown by the fact dinner service. all the china pieces were of the same design. Next to these homes was a pathway that lead to a pond. This hidden treasure is the home of many plants that are original to Ontario. Paula Davies gave us a brief tour of this picturesque site. Vistors were able to hear and see many bird breeds. Paula belongs to the Todmorden Mills Wildflower Perserve. These volunteers are trying to restore the parklife with original plants of the area. She had extensive knowlegde about the land and it was a pleasure meeting with her.

Melissa Richardson

Contributor/photographer