Last December on a cold, sunny day, a friend and I walked to the Spadina Museum and took a free guided tour. We arrived early with enough time for a cup of tea (sold at the Spadina shop) to warm up. There were six other participants in our group. The tour began with a short video to give visitors context, then a guide took us on the tour of the house.
Spadina Museum, named from an Anishnaabemowin word ishpadina (“highland” or “ridge”), sits atop a ravine overlooking Toronto.
For over a century, Spadina was home to three generations of the Austin family. In 1866, the property was purchased by businessman and financier James Austin, founder of the Dominion Bank and president of Consumers Gas. The Austins and their children used their 80 acres for farming until James, and later his son Albert, subdivided and sold most of the land. The remaining 5.7 acres include an orchard, a grape arbour and a kitchen garden, along with the more formal areas of lawn and display beds.
The historic house illustrates the evolution of styles from mid-Victorian to 1930s Colonial Revival and includes items from both the Arts and Crafts and Aesthetic Movements, as well as items in the Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles. The influence of new technologies such as gas lighting, central heating, electricity and the telephone can be seen here.
City of Toronto website
The Spadina house has three floors and a basement. Each floor has several rooms connected by doors or separated by thick curtains. The furniture is original. I hope you enjoy the gallery. To view captions, please click on the photos.
The well-preserved interiors of Spadina house and the tour guide’s knowledge made our visit an excellent experience. It was a wonderful way to enjoy a sunny day and learn more about Toronto’s history with a good friend.
This post is my contribution to the following:
- Thursday Doors hosted by Dan.
- WWWhimsy hosted by Min.
- Weekend Coffee Share link-up #200 hosted by me (link below).
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I love the interior photographs of Spadina Museum.
Have you visited Boldt Castle in the 1000 Islands?
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Yes, I visited Boldt Castle a long time ago.
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Wow! If I ever make it back to Toronto, Natalie, this is on my must see list Thanks so much for sharing these photos!
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Dan, I highly recommend a visit to the Spadina House whenever you make it back to Toronto.
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We have been to Casa Loma “next door” but not this one. Another time!
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Yes, I’d recommend a visit to the Spadina House. Admission and the guided tour are free.
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I like your photos. The house looks like something out of a set for the TV show, Murdoch Mysteries. Lovely.
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Thank you, Ally. The guided tour and the house artifacts were very interesting.
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What a beautifully preserved old house! The tour sounds excellent and I especially like seeing the kitchen area – that always fascinates me in historic properties 🙂
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I agree, Sarah. The Spadina kitchen and items on display in the cupboards were very interesting.
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Thanks for the virtual tour of Spadina house, looks very interesting.
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Thank you Gail for sharing your thoughts.
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That is quite a house. What was with the white door? I’ve never seen any door like it. So much wall paper. They must have to redo that every 30 years or so – special order. And every kitchen needs two stoves. I’m sure the maids or servants cooked for crowds of people. Fascinating, Natalie!
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Marsha, It was a fascinating tour. The Spadina house also has a big outdoor space (for social gatherings) and their own vegetable gardens.
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That would be a fun place to have a gathering. It’s so unique.
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I love places like this. Thanks for the info and photos.
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My pleasure, Darlene. This house is full of stories.
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That looks such a great place to visit – thanks for taking us there.
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My pleasure, Barbara. It was a fascinating tour.
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That looks like a lovely tour!
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Yes, it was. Thank you for your comment, Joanne.
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200? That’s 4 years, right? I would have thought much longer. Congratulations!
I just saw Song of First Desire, which is a play about the fall out of the Spanish Civil War, starting in the 50’s or 60’s but with it’s tendrils of trauma reaching now and far beyond the borders of Spain. I can’t look at your pictures of a wealthy house and think of that.
That phone room is wild! So crazy to remember we used to do that! So unfettered compared to these days.
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Thank you, Lydia, for your comment and participation This is my 5th year hosting the WCS link-up. It was a fascinating tour of the Spadina House and the family who used to live there.
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What a fabulous visit, Natalie. Wonderful photographs. I love guided museum tours like this!
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Thank you, Donna. This museum guided tour was excellent. My friend and I really enjoyed our visit.
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Thank you so much for taking us there . . . interesting to compare with some of the old ‘open houses’ of the same vintage we have here in Australia.
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You’re welcome. I greatly enjoyed the Spadina Museum guided tour.
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First of very interesting about the origin of Spadina. It’s a major road name here and it sits long the ravine. It was so cool to read about the original farm use of the land even though they weren’t farmers and great that they kept their kitchen garden. I absolutely loved every last inside photo as I adore old houses! Someday when we make it to the big TO we will have to go there.
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Bernie, I didn’t know Spadina is a major road in your area. The Spadina Museum is one of several historic homes that are maintained by the city of Toronto. I highly recommend a visit whenever you’re in Toronto.
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And if you ever make it to Saskatoon Spadina is a wonderful street to walk or bike down. Bernie
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If I make it to Saskatoon, I’ll contact you and hopefully we can walk/ bike on Spadina street together.
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That would be amazing! There is a great big loop that is a fabulous bike trail all along the river. And I can get you a bike easily.
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Sounds great.
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I always enjoy visiting historic homes. This one is gorgeous – a lot of very cool details. I’m sure you had a lot of fun on your visit.
Hope you are enjoying your weekend and have a wonderful week 🙂
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Thank you Trent. It was a fascinating visit with a lot of things and stories to take in. My friend and I greatly enjoyed the guided tour.
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What a fun time capsule! Alongside the tea it sounds like a perfect experience! Hope your weekend is wonderful, Natalie!
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Thank you, Melissa. It was a fascinating and enjoyable visit to the Spadina. Have a wonderful weekend!
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It’s been a few years since I was there but it made me look up my post which led me to check the prices and pointed me to the National Trust of Canada website where I ended up buying a family annual membership! Talk about going down a rabbit hole!
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Now that you have the membership, more going down a rabbit hole to select places to visit…but it’s all good 🙂
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Hi Natalie! What beautiful photos of such a historic house. I can’t believe the details. I love history and am so happy there are places that keep history alive. 🤩
I hope you are having a wonderful weekend and hope it continues to be a great week ahead! ♥️
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Hi Diana, My friend and I greatly enjoyed the guided tour and seeing the original furniture in the house. I’m pleased you’re able to link up this weekend. I’ll be over to your blog to catch up on your news. Have a wonderful Sunday and week ahead!
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The wallpaper in these old houses is so interesting. The designs, the textures…. While I have colorful walls in mine, it feels nothing like this one. The glass doors and ornate doorways makes for such beauty. You must have had a great time exploring this place.
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This house belonged to an affluent family so all the materials used were top notch at the time. It was an excellent guided tour and truly enjoyable visit. My friend and I were both glad that we went.
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Hmm…, I thought I commented, but WordPress has been giving me trouble lately. The Spadina Museum looks absolutely fascinating! It’s like its own little Time Machine giving us a glimpse of the past. I live near The Biltmore and this reminds me that I really should try to go before we move in a few months.
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Michelle, Thank you for your comment. WordPress acts strange sometimes. I hope you visit the Biltmore and share your experience with us. My friend and I greatly enjoyed our visit to the Spadina Museum.
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Wow, such a beautiful place. I love how they kept the inside period. So very beautiful. Great pics. Thanks for hosting and I hope that you have a wonderful week.
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Patrick, Thank you for your comment. The Spadina House is well-maintained. My friend and I greatly enjoyed our visit. Have a wonderful Sunday and week ahead!
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Interesting post! I enjoy touring historic homes turned museums, especially when they are decorated for the holidays. I like the photo of the staircase with the garland.
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Yes, we were at the Spadina in December and the house looked festive with simple Christmas decorations. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
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That is a remarkable house. During the summer I sometimes take guided tours in my own town, to learn more about the history of the region and the people who once lived here. History is fascinating. Thanks for sharing the Spading house with us.
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Yes, history is fascinating. It’s great that you take guided tours to learn more about your region. I continue doing that here whenever I can.
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The rooms are beautifully furnished. Imagine living somewhere like that …
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The Austins who lived in that house were wealthy and founded several important businesses in Toronto.
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This is amazing, what a great collection. love those stoves/oven. Wow.
Pat
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Thank you for your comment. The kitchen appliances and items in the cupboards were definitely interesting.
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Time travel! But it seems more like another planet than just another time. Thanks for taking us there.
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You’re welcome. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
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This sounds cool! I particularly loved reading your little snippet of history of the property.
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Yes, this house has very interesting history. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
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So interesting. It’s fun to see how others lived.
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Yes, it was an excellent tour.
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Very nice building beautifully decorated.
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Yes, it’s a beautiful home. Thank you for your comment.
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Hi Natalie, wow – I love these old homes and their history and I love seeing all the items from days gone by. The ‘telephone room’ gave me a chuckle. Are any of the Austin family still living I wonder? Thanks for the virtual tour – very enjoyable, and thanks for linking up with #WWWhimsy xo
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Hi Min, The Spadina opened to the public as a museum in 1984. The Austins who lived there all died by that time, except two ladies Patricia and Esme who lived to 2012 and 2014 respectively but not at Spadina.
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Thanks for taking us on the tour Natalie, love all the old items in the house.
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My pleasure, Debbie. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
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