"It's graced Barrie Street for over 118 years, but last week, the "Old Convent" met the fate it had evaded for so long and fell to the wreckers.
Built in 1876, as the home of attorney and Reeve of Bradford, John MacLean Stevenson, it was one of the few Italianate villa-style Victorian buildings left in Canada. ..."

The first hydro substation in Bradford was located on Nelson St. (south of John St. East). It was built in 1916 (or 1918) by Tom and Len Saint on a small piece of property owned by the foundry on Holland Street. (1, 2)
Please contact the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library (905-775-3328) if you have any other information about this photo.

Article containing photographs on the demolition of the old South Division police station at 45 Holland Street East on June 24-26, 2009.

Description : Bats in the tower, a bottle of wine tucked in behind the dated cornerstone, mould and dry rot in the rafters... that's what the Priestly Demolition crews found, as they demolished the old St. John's Presbyterian Church on John St. West in Bradford last weekend. The church came down more quickly than expected. When crews removed the windows in the east wall, it bowed outwards, creating safety concerns. And when part of the roof was removed, to lessen the possibility of unexpected collapse, a portion of the brickwork on the east wall fell. Structural safety was one of the key concerns that led the Presbyterian Church to sell the 112 year old building. Bulging walls, rotting rafters - estimates suggested that over $500,000 in repairs were needed, simply to preserve the structure. The cost did not include expansion, or the provision of handicapped access or washrooms. The Presbyterian Church instead has built a new St. John's Presbyterian, on Middletown Sideroad - a "House of God" that is completely handicapped accessible, large enough to accommodate the congregation, with a gymnasium and room for community outreach, filled with light and air, and free of hazardous mould. It is a vibrant expression of the Presbyterian Church in Bradford West Gwillimbury. The John St. property was sold to the neighbouring Trinity Anglican Church. Although the land will be used as a parking lot in the short term, the Anglican Church is fundraising to someday raise a new "House of God" on the site.

Photograph of the Convent demolition

The building seen in this photo (from 1995) was once located on the north side at 9 John St. West. It was a long, one-storey, frame house with a verandah on the south side and a small porch on the east side (facing Barrie Street). Dick Crake and his sister lived here for a number of years after he moved from a large house on the northwest corner of Holland and Church Streets. They both died here around the time of World War II. John Metcalfe later moved here from a farm on Highway 88 (at the west end of town). He lived in the house as a bachelor until his death. The house was eventually demolished and the Bradford Post Office was built by Art and Leonard Saint at this location. (1, 2)

This house was once located at 89 John St. West. It was probably built pre-Confederation and it was considered to be one the best examples of the Regency Cottage style of building in Bradford. The one-storey, stucco, square building had an addition at the rear that contained a couple of rooms. There also was a long wooden shed behind the house. Mr. Robinson lived here in early 1930’s. Later it became the home of Bill Hounsome and his wife, Lena, and son Allen. Sam Caen (?) and his wife Daisy and their sons lived here after World War II. In its final years this building was the home of the Everitt family. It was demolished on April 11, 2014 (Bradford Times, April 24, 2014). (1, 2)

The mid-block building located at 89 John St. East is set well back from street. It was built around 1860-1880’s in the Ontario Vernacular Cottage style. John Edwin (or Harry) Cerswell, a retired gentleman, lived here at one time before selling the house. Dave Mundy and Walter moved here from their farm on the 10th line. Dave worked for Holland River Gardens and Walter worked for the Spence Lumber Co. Walter built a garage at the back of the house. When Dave died the house was sold. Years later, a small house was built along the back fence to provide housing for marsh workers. Joe McMillan and his daughter rented it, as did Dick Roberts and Wilma. Lorne Campbell and his wife also lived here after World War II. It was later demolished.
The one-storey, three-bay cottage seen in this photo from 1995 has a rectangular plan with a centre hall. A box hall was typical for this style. It also has a symmetrical façade and a shallow-pitched, gable roof. There is a simple entrance with a single door set into a rectangular opening. It opens directly into the house from slightly above grade level. No porch or weather protection shelters the entrance. The house has small windows with low floor to ceiling heights. There are double-hung windows on either side of the entrance. The 2/2 windows appear to be original. Windows are set into simple, rectangular openings with plain, wood frames and sills. The building has wood frame construction, vinyl siding, a stone-rubble foundation, and a basement with window openings. Originally, the siding was wood. A one-storey addition at the side of house is not original and it has different foundation material. According to the 2000 inventory, this simple cottage probably had few decorative details originally. It notes that other than the building’s form, few existing building elements appear to be original. (1, 2, 3)

The Bradford Presbyterian Church was once located at 81 John St. West (on the northwest corner of Church and John Streets). A Presbyterian church in Bradford dates back to 1856. The original frame building was built on this site and used until 1893. At that time it was sold to the Anglican Church and moved a short distance north to be used as the Parish Hall. The structure seen in this photo (from 1996) was designed in the Romanesque style by Siddell Baker Architects in Toronto. It was constructed in 1893 for $5,000 by local builder Dougald (George) MacDonald. George was able to do short-hand blueprints and he was also the Sunday school teacher. The church pipe organ was installed in 1915 (with a portion of it funded by the Carnegie Foundation). A seven-foot section of interior, cornice molding fell off and crashed through some front seating and the floor and landed in the basement in 1937. It was rediscovered years later in George MacDonald’s barn.
The 1½-storey building had a modified, cruciform plan with an apse, narthex, and square and polygonal entrance towers. There was a steeply-pitched, gable roof with pyramidal and polygonal roofs on the towers. This structure was a complex massing of heavy, simple forms, each of which had a clear function. The main entrance was through a large, round-arched doorway with a crescent-shaped transom light and a heavy, panelled, wood door. It was set into a high, square tower at the southeast corner of the church and it marked the site as a landmark within the town. Tall, narrow, window openings had thin windows with a vertical emphasis. Some secondary windows were set in rectangular openings (but with the same narrow proportions). Windows having round-arched openings of various sizes in groups, and as singles, lit the nave. The simplicity of this church and the lack of typical Romanesque Revival details such as heavy, stone stringcourses and lintels gave the church a Norman feel with its squared tower and massive walls. Square pinnacles topped the four corners of the entrance tower. The building had masonry construction with brick cladding and a cut-stone foundation. Len Saint, a local stone mason and brick layer, did the plastering for the church. There were metal panels on the steeple and tower roofs. According to the 2000 inventory, the church was in excellent condition with many original features.
The congregation moved to St. John’s Presbyterian Church which was located on the Middleton Sideroad (circa 2004). Trinity Anglican Church purchased the old Presbyterian Church building and land in 2004 and the building was demolished in 2005 to provide additional parking for the congregation of Trinity Anglican Church. (1, 3, 4, Trinity Anglican Church Bradford website)

The units located at 70 Simcoe Road (north side) and 72 Simcoe Road (south side) are part of an apartment building that was erected in 1980. The property was originally the site of a large, frame house that had a woodshed, chicken house, and a horse and cow stable on the back lane (Elizabeth Street). It was the home of Mr. Peachman (a farmer), his wife and sons (Wilbert, Harvey and Louis) many years ago. He was a day worker and a labourer. Charles Jackson and his wife (retired farmers) later lived here with their family before the house was demolished. (1, 2)