The Allure of a Simple Cottage

The cottage at 348 Woolwich Street.

We love cottages. The Ontario Cottage became popular in the 1820s and remained popular until the end of the century. Perfect, symmetrical, one and a half storey, rectangular buildings with tons of charm. Stratford has a large collection of these homes and Guelph has a row of them as a well-known city landmark.

Regency stone cottages at 340, 344, and 348 Woolwich St. respectively.

The Guelph Arts Council offers a self-guided historical walking tour which will lead you to some of Guelph's best heritage homes. Our favourites amongst them were three stone cottages in a row at 340, 344, and 348 Woolwich Street. Each of the cottages feature square picked limestone with quoin corners, a hip roof as well as 6-over-6 wood sash windows. 

The earliest cottage, #344, was built in 1866. Once associated with the McTague family, original pioneers of the area, it is now used as an insurance office. Built in 1875, the limestone cottage at #340 was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act in 2011, protecting the exterior elements of the home.

We are in the process of designing an addition to enlarge an Ontario Cottage in Stratford. We hope to maintain the unpretentious integrity of this traditional home and add to its inherent charm.

What do you love about Ontario Cottages?

Rory McDonnell is a General Contractor, Licensed Carpenter and Architectural Designer with Build, a construction firm in Stratford, Ontario, specializing in new custom homes and renovations.