Inspiration in my Neighbourhood

I've been reading another book by Danny Gregory titled "An Illustrated Journey". It is full of sketches from other artists, designers, and illustrators. These artists have shared segments of their illustrated travel journals. They don't go anywhere without their sketch books. Although most of these artists are sketching foreign places, I was inspired to sketch my neighbourhood. There are several really old homes with some history on my street and in the area. We tend to overlook the beauty close to us and so I sat down and sketched two of the homes on my street.

The first is my next door neighbour's home which is called Elm Bank. Elm Bank is comprised of not one but two homes and is designated as a heritage property and is therefore protected. The original home was built for John Grubb in 1836. John arrived in Canada in 1831 and acquired the property along the West branch of the Humber River where he established two farms, "Elm Bank" and "Brae Burn". Grubb subdivided his land to form a village around the intersection of Albion Road and Islington Avenue. This village was first called St. Andrew and later renamed Thistletown.

Elm Bank

The above home is presently in very bad condition. The owners actually have plastic draped over the roof and the whole house is looking pretty dilapidated. This one sits across the street from Elm Bank and is purported to sit on the foundations of the barn associated with Elm Bank. This house is also listed on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties.