Todmorden Mills Heritage Site

Todmorden Mills Heritage Site at 67 Pottery Rd in East York, Toronto, Ontario, sits in the Don Valley and preserves some of the earliest industrial buildings in the area. In the 1790s the Don Valley attracted settlers who used the river for waterpower. The Skinner brothers built a sawmill and gristmill here around 1796, and the site later developed into a paper mill under the Eastwood family and a brewery. John Eastwood's paper mill, built in the 1820s, was among the first in Upper Canada; a fire destroyed it in 1881. Todmorden is named after a town in northern England. The surviving structures include the Papermill, which now serves as an art gallery and theatre space, the Brewery ruins and two houses: the Eastwood house of about 1797, and the Terry house from about 1850. The Terry house is furnished to the 1890s and the Eastwood house to the 1790s period, and the site's interpretation compares these eras. It also covers the Don Valley's industry, the river's repeated flooding and the later decline of the mills. The architecture combines modest Georgian and Victorian domestic styles with industrial ruins. The City of Toronto runs the site and has stabilized and adapted the buildings for use as museum spaces. The valley setting is part of the experience, with trails nearby leading toward the Don Valley Brick Works and Evergreen Brick Works, whose restored industrial buildings make a natural second stop. Opening hours are seasonal, and visitors should check the City of Toronto museums page before travelling. A thematic approach links early settlement, industry and natural history, and the site hosts exhibitions and heritage events through the year.