South Hill is a neighbourhood in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

. It is located north of downtown and covers the area west of Avenue Road, south of

St. Clair Avenue St. Clair Avenue is a major east-west street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was laid out in the late 18th century by the British as a concession road (the Third Concession), north of Bloor Street and north of Queen Street. St. Clair Avenue ...

, east of Spadina Road, and north of the Canadian Pacific railway tracks. The area is dominated by the steep hill of the former

Lake Iroquois Lake Iroquois can refer to: * Lake Iroquois (South Dakota) * Lake Iroquois (Vermont) in Vermont in the United States * Lake Iroquois, Illinois in Iroquois County in Illinois in the United States *Glacial Lake Iroquois Glacial Lake Iroquois was a ...

shoreline. The Nordheimer Ravine also cuts through the area, which is surrounded by Sir Winston Churchill Park. This park covers the northwestern portion of South Hill.

History

The first settlers of

York, Upper Canada York was a town and second capital of the colony of Upper Canada. It is the predecessor to the old city of Toronto (1834–1998). It was established in 1793 by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe as a "temporary" location for the capital of ...

, divided the area that would become South Hill into concessions in 1793. One large section of the area went to Peter Russell, and Russell Hill Road continues to run through the centre of the neighbourhood. In the late nineteenth century, the area became home to some of the wealthiest citizens of Toronto. They built a series of large manors along the top of the hill. These included Senator John Macdonald's Oaklands, the Eaton family's

Ardwold Ardwold was the residence of Sir John Craig Eaton and Lady Eaton of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Sir John was the youngest son of Timothy Eaton, the founder of the T. Eaton Company Department Store, or Eaton's, and he inherited the business and beca ...

, Samuel Nordheimer's Glenedyth,

James Austin James Austin may refer to: Sports * Jim Austin (baseball) (born 1963), former baseball pitcher * Jim Austin (rugby league), New Zealand rugby league player * James Austin (judoka) (born 1983), English judoka * James Austin (American football) ( ...

's Spadina, Senator

William McMaster William McMaster (24 December 1811 – 22 September 1887) was a Canadian wholesaler, senator and banker in the 19th century. A director of the Bank of Montreal from 1864 to 1867, he was a driving force behind the creation of the Canadian Ba ...

's Rathnelly, and most prominently Sir

Henry Pellatt Major-General Sir Henry Mill Pellatt, CVO (January 6, 1859 – March 8, 1939) was a Canadian financier and soldier. He is notable for his role in bringing hydro-electricity to Toronto for the first time, and also for his large château in Toron ...

's Casa Loma. The area was annexed to the city of Toronto in a series of sections beginning in 1905. It has remained an expensive residential area, though most of the large manors have today either been demolished or converted to other uses. File:Oaklands, Toronto.png, The Oaklands estate in South Hill, c. 1891 File:Spadina House May 2012.jpg,

Spadina House Spadina Museum: Historic House & Gardens, also known as Spadina House (), is a historic mansion at 285 Spadina Road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that is now a historic house museum operated by the City of Toronto's Economic Development & Culture ...

, now a

historic house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a ...

Republic of Rathnelly

The southeastern section of South Hill is known as Rathnelly. It takes its name from the former "Rathnelly" house built in 1830 by William McMaster, which was named after his birthplace in Rathnelly,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

. During the celebration of Canada's centennial on July 1, 1967, the Rathnelly neighbourhood declared itself an independent republic. To mark its independence, the "Republic of Rathnelly" elected a queen, organized a parade, formed an "air farce" of 1,000 helium balloons, and issued Republic of Rathnelly passports to everyone in the neighbourhood. The Republic of Rathnelly continues to celebrate with a biennial street party in June, referred to as "Rathnelly Day".

Landmarks

* Baldwin Steps * High Level Pumping Station *

References

External links

South Hill history
from torontoneighbourhoods.net

from torontoneighbourhoods.net
Official website of the Republic of Rathnelly
from lostrivers.ca {{authority control Neighbourhoods in Toronto Micronations in Canada