On December 7, 1978 the Toronto Sun captured the museum village on its move from Brougham to Greenwood.
“First they rolled out the church, then a shed, two barns and the Cole house. In all 13 buildings of the Pickering Museum will be moved two miles from the Village of Brougham to a new site in Greenwood village in Pickering. Yesterday was the first of three moving days at the historic buildings, dating from the early 1800s were transported along Highway 7. The museum is being moved off land expropriated by the federal government and is to reopen in July. It’ll cost $600,000 to move the buildings and prepare the new site.”
For more photos of the relocation from Brougham to Greenwood, check PADA.ca (Pickering Ajax Digital Archives):
The Foundation was established in 1996 to raise funds to preserve, upgrade and expand the facilities at the museum village. We are pleased to partner with the City of Pickering in our current project, restoration of the Brougham Central Hotel to an 1850s temperance hotel. When it is restored to its former status it will enable PMV education staff to broaden its programs and include not only the influence this era had on current liquor laws, but enable students of architecture to view construction and reconstruction methods of the past 150 years.
Architectural Analysis from André Scheinman's 2004 Study:
The South Wing of the Hotel was constructed in the simple storey and a half, side-gabled, three bay, siding clad form typical of many of the earlier residences of the area. The openings of the façade were placed symmetrically as was typical and the south elevation originally had four openings, the two lower openings having been closed in when the harness shop was constructed adjacent.
The building is of plank wall construction with the planks mortised individually into the sill and top plate rather than set in a general rebate or channel as was also common. The plank wall system is derived from the ancient vertical timber treatment involving heavy members used in stockades and known in Lower Canada as poteau sur sole (‘posts mortised into a sill’). (see page 15 + for more)
The North Wing appears to have been purpose built as an Inn/Tavern. Set directly at the head of the main northern road from the lakefront, where it intersected an increasingly important east/west thoroughfare, a coach road before the mid 19th century, it was strategically placed as a potential rest stop for travelers, particularly for coach passengers. The plan is typical of many such hostelries with the front room as tap room and a kitchen and storerooms behind. (see page 27 + for more)
Conclusions
The Brougham Central Hotel is comprised of two major sections probably built between 1835 – 1845. This is reflected in many aspects of the construction technology an detailing but particularly the reliance on sawn lumber, cut nails, applied mouldings, the type of plank wall system employed reflecting the c.1840 system and the dating of the wallpaper. (see page 36 for more)
Commemorative Integrity and Concept Planning
Commemorative integrity is a term developed by Parks Canada referring to the aspects of a historic site that are most essential to its character and therefore most crucial for preservation and presentation to the public. The concept was developed to help restore rigour to planning for national historic sites but is equally valid in developing strategies for any heritage site. It involves the exploration of certain basic questions:
- Where does the true root of the building’s significance lie?
- Are these elements being appropriately conserved and is the ‘message’
that they potentially convey appropriately being presented?
- How can these goals of conservation and interpretation be best achieved?
It does not appear that any clear link between the Brougham Central Hotel and the Peter Matthews’ house can be established and indeed such a connection now seems unlikely (though certainly not impossible). Thus, this tenuously possible association cannot be considered a real part of the site’s commemorative integrity. As discussed above it can be said that Peter Matthews’ appears to have lived in a plank house similar to the South (East) Wing of the Brougham Central Hotel (also the Collin’s House and several other plank houses in the area) but that is really all. However even without the Matthews’ association there are a great many substantiated aspects of the property and stories that it truly embodies that make its preservation very important. The Brougham Central Hotel:
- encompasses a wide range of relatively rare vernacular construction technologies, examples of fine joinery and detailing;
- is a good example of a mid -19th century hinterland coach inn and tavern;
- is a good example of a mid 19th century Temperance Hotel;
- retains examples of early finishes, particularly wallpapers;
- is associated with an important area family, the Woodruffs;
- was the first hotel in Brougham and formed part of the node around which the village formed;
- was very much at the center of Township social and political life particularly for the period 1850 –1865;
- continued to be a local landmark well into the 20th century, mostly as a Village store.
It is the above aspects of the Hotel that can justifiably be developed for interpretation and are very much worth developing.
In any concept scenario the building is urgently in need of preservation, particularly in relation to foundation settlement and decay of timber sills. These issues have transferred to problems throughout the building (see Condition Assessment) and must be addressed as soon as possible. These problems put the integrity of the resource at risk. It is appreciated however that the reason no major work has been undertaken on the building thus far is to allow this time for research and planning so a clear direction can be adopted which will guide the actual work to be done. (see page 37 +)
Join the Team
Thanks to the support from individual memberships, the annual Whodunit?, Fall Family Festival and weekly bingo this will become a reality. Since 1996 we have been pleased to contribute funding to many fine projects including reconstruction of the Redman House, the Puterbaugh Schoolhouse, the interior restoration of the 1850 Bible Christian Chapel and many other smaller projects championed by the Foundation. |
June 19, 2010 Brougham Temperance House Re-opens! 
