• Toronto’s Tollkeeper’s Cottage
    Cottage in its location on Davenport Road and Bathurst in 1875
  • A Humble Home
    Built in the 1830s, this structure housed multiple tollkeeper families over the years
  • The Families Who Lived Here
    Including John Bulman (1861) and others like Frances McCegue, Moses Hanna, and Thomas Brown
  • Art Cox’s 1875 Painting
    Color version of this rare depiction by local artist Arthur Cox
  • Now across the street
  • Restored to 1861
    Furnished with period artifacts including some from the Bulman family and other 19th century pieces
  • Meet Our Costumed Docents
    Experience daily life as it was for Toronto’s early tollkeeping families
  • A Living History Site
    One of Toronto’s few surviving examples of early municipal architecture
  • Visit the Tollkeeper’s Cottage
    Open February-December
    Saturdays 12-5pm & first Sunday each month 1-4pm

Tollkeepers Cottage Museum

open Saturdays 12-4pm; 1st Sun each month 1 – 4pm


JANE AND THE BLUE WILLOW PRINCESS
Sunday November 30 at 2 pm: Reading and book launch with author Catherine Little
Catherine's fourth book commemorates the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth and introduces children to this beloved author.
Jane Austen fans may remember that she lived for the first 25 years of her life in a rectory at Steventon in southern England. This is the place where Jane, between the ages of 19 and 23, drafted her first three novels: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey. After this, her father retired and moved the family to Bath.

The rectory was torn down in the 1820s, with nothing remaining apart from an iron pump to identify its location. In 2011, a dig uncovered its foundations. Apparently, thousands of metal, glass and ceramic objects were excavated during the dig, including pieces of Willow pattern China, which was very popular during the eighteenth century. The pattern was inspired by designs imported from China. It was produced between the 1780s and 90s by Thomas Minton and Thomas Turner of Caughley by transfer printing - the design was printed onto a sheet of thin tissue paper and then applied to earthenware or porcelain - a technique in use from 1750 in Birmingham. Spode, Royal Worcester, Adams, Wedgwood, Davenport, Clews, Leeds and Swansea followed. 

Catherine reports that she was inspired to write a story based on this discovery of the beautiful blue and white Willow pattern found in this location.

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EXTENSION OF THE PHOTO FIESTA
to Monday December 8. 
Voting by visitors will be held on Cookie Day, Saturday December 13. 
In order to allow more people to try their hand at winning the grocery gift certificate donated to us by Fiesta Farms, we are extending the deadline into December. Now you have a chance to wander the grounds, view the garden and take some glorious shots of the Cottage from the outside. Inside shots may be taken whenever we're open on Sundays November 9 or December 7; and on all Saturdays until the end of the day December 7. Photo entries will be displayed in the Cottage as they are submitted until December 13, Cookie Day. 
 
All photos must be sent to our email tollkeeperscottage@gmail.com by Monday December 8. 
Want to participate? Let us know at tollkeeperscottage@gmail.com and we'll let you know "the rules". Please remember if your photo includes an identifiable person, they will need to give us their permission, as photos will be displayed in hard copy and online. 

On Cookie Day, December 13, all visitors will get a chance to VOTE for their favourite shot and determine the winner (you do not have to be present to win).
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NEW AND RENEWING MEMBERS
NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER ARE YOUR MONTHS TO ENSURE YOUR MEMBERSHIP FOR JAN-DEC 2026
 
The Tollkeeper's Cottage, operated by the non-profit group, the Community History Project, receives almost no support from government sources (we are not part of the city's system of heritage buildings). That is why your commitment is so important to our dedicated and hard working volunteers. Every member counts in helping us to maintain this unique building of early vertical plank construction, so that its story may survive.

Membership is still $20. for an individual and $35. for a family, for which you will receive a tax receipt, a welcoming space to connect with other history enthusiasts, a chance to spend meaningful time in many ways, including gardening, providing tours, writing, giving Talks and an opportunity to vote and shape what happens. 

NEW MEMBERS Complete the form at the Cottage. Fee is by cash or e-transfer.
RENEWING MEMBERS Come to the Cottage or email us.
 
COMING IN DECEMBER.....

GHOSTLY TALES will be here again on Saturday December 6 at 7 pm. More info and RSVP in the December newsletter.
and pick out a bag of cookies, freshly baked by our members.
EAST ANNEX WALK Thanks to our new walk leader, Deborah, for guiding us on an interesting tour of this area of the Annex. We saw the "quintessential Annex" (and first) house on Madison Avenue, stood where Taddle Creek once ran, saw the spot where Sir Frederick Banting lived, and learned about Canada's first female computer scientist and PhD, Beatrix Worsely. 
PHOTO FIESTA
David Raymont calls this charming entry to our contest TOLLKEEPER WINDOW. We can imagine being there in 1860!
THE BARREL, is Pam Parker's intriguing submission to the contest.

We are waiting for more photos that we can put on display at the Cottage! Good luck to all our participants!
COOKIE DAY Saturday December 13 from noon - 4 pm. Stop by to chat with old friends and pick out a bag of cookies, freshly baked by our members.

Volunteers

For those who would like to volunteer as docents at the Tollkeeper’s Cottage 1.  …

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