An easy charm
Cobourg stately but relaxed
By KENNETH BAGNELL, SUN MEDIA
Last Updated: 9th August 2009, 4:25am
In most ways, Cobourg resident Lena Field Fisher was an ordinary person -- a good citizen and town councillor, who had a liking for big hats. But in the early 1970s, Fisher proved a great truth when she launched a campaign to save one of Ontario's historic buildings from demolition and succeeded.
The building is Victoria Hall on King St., and if and when you stand in front of it as I did recently, give thought to Lena Field Fisher. She could have said what a renowned ethicist once said: "I'm grateful for the idea that used me." In Cobourg and elsewhere people should be grateful for the idea that used Fisher: That the beauty of yesterday ought not be sacrificed for a parking lot today.
While there, I stayed at a Cobourg inn with an elegant history, The Woodlawn, where beds are deep and restful. The dinners -- Italian with a touch of new Europe -- are made even better by one of southern Ontario's finest wine lists, compiled by sommelier Stephen Della Casa, part of the family that owns Woodlawn.
When I set out the next day to see the town, it was refreshed by breezes off Lake Ontario. Cobourg has a poignant past. In the mid-1800s, serious thinkers thought the town, about two hours drive east of Toronto, could become the capital of Ontario, maybe even Canada.
It didn't happen. But by the 1870s, it was very rich, partly from wealthy Americans -- including some civil war generals from the south -- who came north to cooler summers and built residences beyond mere opulence. The very rich made it glamorous and after entering a yacht in the America's Cup race of 1876, Cobourg became known as Newport of the North.
"It was the golden age of architecture," John Jolie, a retired history teacher said as we strolled King, the town's main street. "It was excess though. They'd party at one mansion, move on to the next, then the next. One place had a pool with a raft for a band to play. One night the band fell in. The violinist was playing a Stradivarius so that was the end of it."
Many mansions have not survived but Jolie and other members of Cobourg's historical society battle to save all they can. It's worth it. Notable residences include an 1899 log home owned by the founders of Famous Players, a fine Georgian house once home of a Chief Justice of Canada, and Dressler House, named for Marie Dressler, a Cobourg woman who became a Broadway sensation in the 1900s, and whose memorabilia it contains.
For me, the most significant is original 1832 Victoria College, a forerunner of U of T's Victoria, one of Canada's first degree-granting universities with educational pioneer Egerton Ryerson as president.
Victoria Hall is a jewel. It's more than visual, it's calming. To pause beneath it is to be refreshed.
"It's not just beautiful," Tom Hall said, "it's remarkably usable."
Hall oversees its fine Concert Hall, where week after week plays are staged, conferences convened, wedding receptions held. Weddings take place in a first floor courtroom, a fine replica of London's legendary Old Bailey. Many people from Toronto have their wedding and reception at Victoria Hall.
"After all," Hall said, "there's no worry about driving after some wine, it's just a brief walk to your inn or B&B."
It may be brief but it's very deep into our history.
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IF YOU GO TO COBOURG
MORE INFORMATION
For details on visiting Cobourg, see cobourgtourism.ca. For information on Woodlawn Inn packages, see woodlawninn.com. In addition to Woodlawn's restaurant, the town has several good dining establishments including The Buttermilk Cafe, The Oasis Bar & Grill, and the Spice o Life.
