In the early 19th century, the only authorized cemeteries within the city of Toronto (then known as York) were limited to the members of either the Roman Catholic Church or the Church of England. Deceased citizens who did not belong to either of these Christian denominations had no choice but to find burial arrangements outside of the city.
In 1873, a new cemetery available to all citizens was conceived. Originally a 200 acre farm, on the far outskirts of Toronto, Mount Pleasant Cemetery opened on November 4, 1876, resplendent with more than twelve miles (19 km) of carriage drives along rolling hills and blue lakes filled with ducks and swans.
With the growth in population, today the cemetery is located in the centre of the city. While the watercourses have since been filled in, the cemetery still has many miles of walking paths, interspersed with fountains, statues, botanical gardens, and rare and distinct trees.
As the final resting place of more than 168,000 persons, Mount Pleasant Cemetery contains remarkable architecture amongst its many monuments.
I walked there at lunchtime and wandered round for almost an hour (it's huge!).
The memorials range from simple to grandiose ...
It's a lovely place to spend some time if you get a chance.
Hello Teena, thank you for your post. I went into a kind of frenzy when I saw it, as the history of the development of burial space in Toronto is a particularly favourite theme of mine.
ReplyDeleteBy the end of the 1830s, the city had cast its eye towards the development of a public cemetery system. The first non sectarian cemetery was built far north of the city, at present day Yonge and Bloor, in Yorkville. A leading citizen of the Town of Yorkville (which would not be incorporated into Toronto until the 1880s) evicted the corpses in the 1850s, leading to the opening of the Necropolis, and then twenty years later, Mount Pleasant Cemetery. The remains of nearly 1,000 people were moved to the Necropolis, and nearly 500 were moved to Mount Pleasant. The person who moved to shut down the "Potters Field" in Yorkville was none other than Joseph Bloor(e), after whom the street was named.
There are many interesting graves and monuments in Mount Pleasant. I was delighted to see that you have posted a photograph of one of my favourites. The tenth photograph from the top is the mausoleum of the Massey family. It was designed by renowned Toronto architect E.J. Lennox, who also designed the King Edward Hotel, Casa Loma, and Old City Hall, amongst many others. To my knowledge, it is the only mausoleum in Mount Pleasant with a basement. Did you have the chance to slip up the stairs and look through the doors?
Anyway, thanks for your post.
Richard
for such a sad place its gorgeous. love the pretty buildings
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It's a great place, isn't it, Richard?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the additional info ... you should know :)
I didn't know that the Massey Monument has a basement ... it looked pretty closed up.
Birds there?? Must be!
ReplyDeleteI believe you when you say it's a lovely place to spend some time.
ReplyDeleteTime for refexions.
Time for peace.
Time for respect.
Time for thankfulness.
Time for reflect.
I love this post.
Because I've learned what it's all about.