Trafalgar Castle, Whitby Ontario

Description

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Media Type

Image

Item Type

Photographs

Description

A black and white photograph of Trafalgar Castle.

Notes

The original castle was constructed between 1859 and 1862 as the residence of Nelson Gilbert Reynolds, Sheriff of Ontario County at that time. The impressive stature of the original castle with 73 rooms has retained its elegance through the years.

Sheriff Reynolds was named 'Nelson' after Horatio Nelson, winner of the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 - hence the name Trafalgar Castle. In 1869 Prince Arthur, the third son of Queen Victoria was a lunch guest at Trafalgar Castle.

A stained-glass window at the top of the grand staircase in Trafalgar Castle portrays the coats of arms of the sheriff and his wife along with their Latin mottos and heads of the kings and queens of England. The coat of arms is also carved over the front entrance of the castle and on wooden furniture still found in the main hall.

By 1874 Reynolds could no longer afford to maintain Trafalgar Castle. The property was sold to the Methodist Church of Canada for $35,000. Since that time the castle has been known as Ontario Ladies College (a school for women) and today is known as Trafalgar Castle School (a private school for girls in grades 6 through 12).

Place of Publication

Whitby, Ontario

Date of Original

c.1862

Date Of Event

1862

Image Dimensions