HISTORY The Humewood neighbourhood is named after "Humewood", the country estate of William
Hume Blake - a prominent lawyer and politician in early Toronto. Blake built Humewood
in the 1850's and named it after his ancestral home in Ireland.
The
former twenty-five acre Humewood estate was carved into various
plans of subdivision in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Humewood
Park was part of the old estate grounds and Humewood Drive was
originally a private laneway to the estate.
The
Humewood house was sold by the Blake family in the 1870's. Shortly
thereafter it burned down but was replaced by a similar house
built on the foundation of the original home.
In 1912 the Humewood
house was purchased by the Anglican Diocese as a refuge for young women in distress.
It has undergone many renovations and additions since this time however it remains
a local landmark, standing proudly at number forty Humewood Drive.
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