A few weeks ago, I wrote an article about the historical home affectionately known as Maple Gables and now we are going to examine another property steeped in local history, The Cedars, located on what is now Victoria Street. Just as with Maple Gables, the rich history of the property is forever intertwined with that of its owners.
It was the custom in the 1800s for British landed gentry to send one of their son’s to “the Colonies”, setting them up in the style that they were accustomed to. The protagonist in our account most certainly fits this profile.
R.H. Smith, who came from England in the early 1860s, was known as a remittance man, an individual who was the recipient of money from home meant to fund his lifestyle here in Newmarket. Smith purchased a large piece of property on the west side of Main Street, stretching from Millard’s Lane to the south side of what is now Park Avenue and as far west as Lorne Avenue, a total of 16 acres.
It seems Smith was a bit of a wheeler-dealer, as he convinced the town to open a new road stretching from Main to Church Street and north on Church to Millard’s Lane. In return, Smith gifted the property between Church and Main to the town. Right in the middle of this large chunk of property, Smith began to build a large Georgian-style mansion around 1856.
From the account books of the Stickwood brick works, we know Smith ordered over 48,000 bricks for its construction. The house had a huge circular driveway as one approached from Church Street. If you decide to check out the mansion, note the beautiful trees that still exist around the property. We are told that it must have been quite an impressive property with spacious lawns, flowering shrubs and massive flower beds maintained by his servants.
So where does the name The Cedars come from? It seems that there were cedar hedges planted surrounding the property and dividing the estate into individual areas.
Smith had put together quite the household. He kept an English butler, a cook and numerous house servants, along with grooms for his horses and the previously mentioned grounds crew. Smith may have fallen on hard times as he eventually severed all the land between Church and Victoria streets, extending the new road mentioned above up to Victoria. This new road was christened New Street.
He also severed all the land from the west side of Lorne Avenue to the west side of Elm Street. Lorne between Millard and Timothy was then opened as a street. Lorne Avenue was named after the Marquis of Lorne, the fourth Governor- General of Canada from 1878 to 1883.
The lots on the south side of Millard between Elm and Victoria were severed, as well, however one lot was intentionally left unsold to provide an entrance to the Manor House and property. Millard Lane was widened and renamed Millard Avenue.
In 1890, New Street and Louisa Street were combined, linking Lorne Avenue to Main Street, and this street was renamed Park Avenue.
In 1903, the remaining portions of this once huge estate were sold. We see the severance of Elm Street and the lots on the east side. All the lots on the north side of Park Avenue between Elm and Victoria were also severed.
Prior to the severance of the lots along Park, a long row of cedars partially concealed the manor house. Several of these cedars had grown from a hedge into trees, some as high as 50 feet, over the years.
In oral history interviews that I conducted, I have heard of the fruit trees and bushes that covered the grounds, everything from three varieties of grapes to cherry and plum trees. There were apparently two huge summer houses in which the area children played back then.
The manor house still looks the same, I am told. As one approaches the house, one is reminded of an old Southern plantation home with a wide veranda surrounding three sides of the home and the roof supported by many cylindrical Corinthian style pillars with a balustrade with turned spindles.
There was a wide set of steps, and everything was painted white, forming an impressive approach. There were two similar sets of stairs, one on each side of the rear wing, leading to ground level.
From a description by Elman Campbell, we are told that one entered into a main hall, larger than most living rooms, with a facing, and a quite elegant curved staircase up to the second floor. He notes the tall Florentine style windows that were 2-1/2 storeys high. It is said that they provide enough light for both the main and second floors.
Campbell continues our tour through two ornate doors that open on to the main hall, one leading to the main front parlour and the other to a smaller rear parlour. There were French doors leading to the wide, wrap-around veranda at the front of the house.
Each of the parlours had a fireplace and a butler’s pantry was to be found behind the back parlour. On the main floor there was a library or study with French doors leading out to the veranda. Behind the library was the main dining room that also had a door leading out to the veranda.
The second floor had six rooms and one long narrow room that served as a sewing room. The third floor had just one room, used by the housekeeper. A door from this room led to a storage area, an attic I guess, which contained a large, lead-lined water storage tank with a gutter emptying rainwater from the roof into the tank to keep it refilled.
We know that the house had an indoor water system as Campbell spoke of a system leading down to the basement where the laundry was located. A large cast iron kettle hung there where the water for the house was heated.
Along with the laundry, there were six other rooms in the basement, including a wine cellar and what they called a cold cellar. The remaining rooms were for the butler and his family. All the food for the house was prepared and carried to the dining room via a dumbwaiter just like in an English country home.
There was also a two-storey wing extending to the west of the main house, about 25 by 60 feet in length. The second floor of this wing had five bedrooms and a large sitting room with a stove. This area with the stove was a common area for the servants. The bottom floor of this extension housed a tack room, a dining area, a kitchen, a scullery, and a pantry used by the servants and a driving shed.
I know that many of you don’t remember a time when there was no indoor plumbing but even mansions had outhouses and, in this case, it was at the back of the extension wing. The description is quite amusing by Campbell who called it very elaborate, with hinged seats, a three-holer, two for adults and one for children.
Behind the building was a small solid brick smokehouse. In the 1930s, this large area was demolished along with the outbuildings and that gorgeous veranda was removed.
If you have read my past articles on Newmarket Today you will note that this house was renowned for its hospitality and social gatherings during the 1880s and 1890s, with the whole town finding entertainment here from time to time. After an important local or regional event, everyone would retire to The Cedars for refreshments.
If you are out and about, a ride past the house is in order. Located at 154 Victoria St., it remains an impressive home and now that you have learned a little bit about it, one can just imagine attending an occasion at the mansion back in the 1880s.
Sources: The Reminiscences of Elman Campbell; Articles from the Newmarket Era; Stories of Newmarket – An Old Ontario Town by Robert Terence Carter; The History of Newmarket by Ethel Trewhella
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Newmarket resident Richard MacLeod — the History Hound — has been a local historian for more than 40 years. He writes a weekly feature about our town’s history in partnership with Newmarket Today, conducts heritage lectures and walking tours of local interest, and leads local oral history interviews.
