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Stratford On The Avon
Discover the Small Community of Stratford in Ontario, Canada
By Julia Rosien
Nestled deep within Mennonite country lies the small community of Stratford, a bit of merry old England lovingly transplanted in Ontario, Canada. If you travel through the city, you'll find the past interwoven with the present like wild morning glories intertwining with a maple tree.
Start your walking tour at the Shakespearean Gardens and meander along with the river. Bring your own picnic or visit one of the many restaurants that offer picnic lunches, customized to suit your desires. "The Old Prune," "Hyacinth House" and "Let Them Eat Cake" are just a few of the interesting dining spots in Stratford offering this service. Art displays fill Stratford parks from May until September. Live music on the H.M.S. Razzmajazz makes evenings on the river something to remember.
The Shakespearean gardens grace the Avon River on the site of the old Dufton Woolen Mill, which burned down in 1922. At the center of the gardens stands the original chimney, 65 feet tall and topped by a birdhouse. A bust of the old Bard himself presides over the gardens.
A short walk from the Shakespearean Gardens is the City Hall, built in 1898. A plaque, commissioned for the entranceway, to acknowledge and thank those who helped create the building, can been seen on the right wall. J.W. Siddal, assistant architect, will always be known as Ass Architect. Thanks to lack of funding, the mistake was never corrected.
The Perth County Court house, built in 1887 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Jubilee, towers over the center of town. An Oak tree, gifted from Windsor Castle in 1937 on King George's Coronation, adorns the front gardens. The tree, tall and majestic, rules like royalty itself, vying for its own spot in history.