The History of Mississauga’s Glenerin Inn
History of the Glenerin Inn
The Glenerin Inn was built in 1927 by Watson Evans, a lawyer from Toronto. His main residence was in the Rosedale area of Toronto and the Glenerin Inn was used primarily as a summer estate.
In 1929 the Music Room and Tower were added to the west side.
Mr. Evans died in 1932.
John Sproule took over management of the Estate in 1935 and lived with his family above the six-car garage. The Evans’ spent Christmas, Easters and summer vacations at the Estate and would hold gala balls and parties for their Toronto society friends
In 1940 St. Hilda’s residential girls school in Whitby, England (north coast of England) arrived in Canada. The Sisters had founded the School in 1915 during the bombing of the Northeast coast during WWI, so it is not surprising that staff and parents feared a repeat of those events once France fell in 1940. 25 miles west of Whitby was a munitions town, Darlington, and the Germans began bombing it on a regular basis. On their return flights the Germans would bomb Whitby. Early in 1940 the Sisters of the Order of the Holy Paraclette who ran St. Hilda learned that the army would soon requisition their property for defense purposes. These two events combined to convince the school to evacuate. The Sisters found accommodation for the senior school and decided to send the junior school (ages 7 to 14) to Canada (183 students). The necessary sponsorship was secured from the diocese of Montreal with a promise of residential and educational facilities. At the same time the school arranged to send funds to Canada for the school’s upkeep. One week passed between the decision to come to Canada and the sailing of the ship from Liverpool on June 16, 1940. They ran into a violent storm, which probably saved their lives, as the German U-boats were unable to operate in the storm. Then, they narrowly missed hitting an iceberg. The next shipful of children (from another school) was sunk by the Germans, and England suspended all passenger Transport for the duration of the war. The students arrived in Montreal on July 4, 1940 and discovered their lodgings in Toronto were only temporary, and worse, England had frozen the export of money for the duration of the war. The school boarded a night train for Toronto and arrived the next morning with no money and no place to stay. The predicament reached the Archbishop Owen of Toronto and he found the girls summer lodging at the Ladies’ College in Whitby, Ontario. Trinity College got involved by sending letters to their alumni asking for assistance and provided the necessary funding (to be paid back by St. Hilda’s at the end of the war).
Mrs. Evans was a graduate of Trinity College and was in failing health, unable to use her weekend retreat, Glenerin Lodge. She wrote from her bed in Toronto General Hospital: “If the Sisters of St. Hilda feel that our house in Erindale can meet their needs, they are welcome to the use of it as long as the war may last.” Thus, the house, which had been designed for 12 people, readied itself to receive 8 staff members and 90 children for the duration of the war.
John and Avernel Sproule, who had been left to take care of the property by the Evans Family stayed on as caretakers of the estate. In 1943 at the encouragement of the girls, John Sproule began beekeeping on the property, a profession he still practices in his store on Mississauga Road just north of Burnham Thorpe. The beekeeping developed into 500 hives and John became Bee Inspector for the Ontario Government.
In 1944 the schoolgirls returned to England.
In 1945 the land was purchased by Robert Simpson Company as a rest home for its employees. Nurses and staff were provided to look after employees recovering from serious illnesses until ready to resume work. When it first opened, 250 employees a week were given guided tours of the new facility, opened in the summer of 1945 on 85 acres. During an employee’s stay at Glenerin Hall all expenses and full salaries were paid to allow their ease of mind and encourage recuperation. The facility was more for R&R, not sick people, and had facilities to accommodate 40 people. There was tennis, lawn bowling, badminton, swimming and croquet, as well as a damned up spring water fishpond. The music room was transformed into a recreation room with ping-pong, movie equipment, a piano, and a fully stocked library. This was the first staff rest home in Canada.
1961 the building was sold and became St.Basil’s Novitiate.
1970 Don Mills Development (Cadillac Fairview Corp. Ltd.) purchased the property and used the house for art displays and community events; Solel Synagogue also used it as it waited for its Synagogue to be built.
In 1983 the estate was bought by Erin Mills Development Corporation.
Someplace(s) Different Ltd. purchased the property in 1984 and began extensive renovations and restorations to convert the building into an Inn, which opened its doors in 1986!
