# Hamilton aka "The Hammer"!



## paul62 (Jan 27, 2012)

Very interesting. Thank you.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

I've not updated this thread in awhile, so will put in some new pics I took yesterday and today. I realise some of these buildings I have shown already, 
but what the heck I felt like photographing them again!  Stopped by the Mulberry Cafe, a favourite of my friends in Hamilton. I imagine it was originally 
an old hotel:



















then off to visit the newly upgraded Hamilton Harbour!


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Stopped by the very handsome 1851 Anglican Church of the Ascension. I wish I could have gotten inside:



















And quite likely the best adaptation of Early English Gothic style (which was wildly popular in both Hamilton, Toronto and other Southern Ontario towns at the time) 
in Hamilton, by one of Canada's leading early architects William Thompson. St Paul's Presbyterian Church was erected between 1854 and 1857:










Its steeple is built entirely of stone, and the tower and spire reach 180 feet which is 
thought to be the tallest of that type in Canada.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

and a mix and match of Hamilton pics:























































the 1929 Pigott building:



















and the beautifully laid out downtown park:



















We took a stroll down Hamilton Beach. Hot, muggy day and the sand was hot under
our feet:


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## xzmattzx (Dec 24, 2004)

Nice pictures! It makes me wish I was back in Ontario already.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Yes, it was a fun weekend in Hamilton; lots of nice older buildings around! :cheers:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

^^ Great, very nice updates from Hamilton


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## Jaybird (Sep 8, 2003)

I can't believe I didn't see this earlier! You captured Hamilton's rich diversity in its architecture beautifully, TB! I found the inner city of Hamilton to be quite 
pleasant and downtown Hamilton is really no different than downtown London, except its bigger! Anybody who says the inner city is crappy is saying it out 
of pure ignorance. It just needs a little pride and a little love! Thanks for the pictures, TB!


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

^^ Thanks, Jay! I'm not as good a photographer as Flar, but I do enjoy wandering around Hamilton's downtown areas! kay:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

^^ Is possible for new updates from Hamilton?


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

^^ I think it is a distinct possibility, Chris!  Was in The Hammer this past weekend and loaded up with more pics. First, I would like to post pictures 
of a lovely village close to Hamilton, called Ancaster. Ancaster was settled by Europeans in 1793, and has retained a picturesque "village" feel. It is 
nestled into the Niagara Escarpment, which gives it a very scenic setting. I'll start by roaming around the pretty Gothic Revival style St John's Anglican
Church, which was built in 1869, to replace the burnt older church built in 1824. 



















I love old graveyards! The tombstones carry so many stories...










When poor young Phebe Ann Goodenough died......










it's a shame her husband didn't then hook up with Jane Mutchmore!! :yes:



















I think that often children's grave markers are the most touching and tender of all. Here rests a little lamb. Sometimes when the child died before it could
be baptised, nothing was written on the marker because technically it had not entered the congregation yet:










what a lovely soft, warm colour the local limestone is.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Moving along, we encounter the handsome 1871 Ancaster Township Hall. It is a simple ecclesiastical looking building in its own right, with a few Neoclassical embellishments
added to give it some grandeur; most notably a Greek Revival entry portico. That style had swept the USA, but was used sparingly here in Upper Canada, because memories of the
War of 1812 were still strong and it was often thought of as being too American looking. However, it was used very effectively here, as was the Italiante cupola on top.











Autumn leaves were at their prettiest this past weekend:










At this point I should mention that I had a bit of bewilderment trying to unravel the age of some of Ancaster's buildings. There seems to be quite a bit of 
confusing information on various websites (tending to place some of the buildings as being older than they are), so I've done my best to seek out the 
most scholarly of the studies for answers. The dates I give are the closest that I can reckon. Here is Rousseau House, or as it was originally called "Rousseaux House". 
It dates anywhere from 1838 to the 1860's, depending on where I looked:




















The old Tisdale House is claimed to be the oldest building in Ancaster and generally pegged at being built around 1806. The Police now use it as their station, 
and a sign outside confusedly refers to it as circa 1825. So, I really have no idea who is right. :dunno:










I approached the old Union Hotel, and this one was very difficult to nail down the age. As far as I can ascertain, it was built in 1832, and the front part is original. 
I believe the back part was rebuilt some 30 years later.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Regardless, it has one of the best little pubs I have ever come across in Canada, a real first class little neighbourhood Public House called the Coach and Lantern:










Let's pop in for a few moments to this quaint, Ivy covered establishment:





































This sign greeted me upon entry, and it made me laugh out loud:










^^ In other words, keep control of your children! :lol: Already I liked the place, just reading that. 










It was still mid Sunday afternoon, but a rollicking crowd was enjoying a live blues/jazz band:



















I would dearly have loved to pull up a barstool and ordered a Pint, but my friends were waiting outside for me.


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Out I went into the light misty rain, so that we could move on to see the Old Ancaster Mill (1869), one of the few remaining operable grist-mills of its era in Ontario.
The first mill was built here in 1791, and burned down an incredible four times before this latest one went up:




























an old side building is now used for special events:



















Ancaster's many streams and hilly terrain made it prime location for a mill:




























The light was fading, so we hopped into the car and drove back to nearby
Hamilton. I'll post a few more photos from Hamilton, very soon!


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## Jaborandi (Nov 19, 2006)

Taller said:


> Regardless, it has one of the best little pubs I have ever come across in Canada, a real first class little neighbourhood Public House called the Coach and Lantern:


I want that window!!!! As always, an excellent tour TB. I can't recall – have you ever done nearby Dundas? It's another Upper Canadian gem.


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## Jaybird (Sep 8, 2003)

I've been looking through my pictures of Hamilton I took last February and I was literally ALL AROUND Sandyford Place and can't believe I did not take a picture of that beautiful buiilding of row houses. I guess that's because I didn't know where it was and what it was called. Oh well, next time I shall get it!

That old mill in Ancaster is so nice!


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## Chadoh25 (Dec 28, 2007)

Wonderful photos as always!


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## flar (Mar 7, 2006)

Excellent tour. Ancaster is a cute little village. There is a beautiful drive if you continue past the Mill along Old Dundas Road all the way to Dundas. Great winding road through the Escarpment with a few rustic stone houses along the way. 

Dundas is a great place for photos as well. Quite a bit of stone there, and some of the oldest structures in Hamilton. Beautiful residential areas with I think the best examples of Georgian era homes in the Hamilton area. Also has a nice downtown and the very scenic Spencer Gorge with Webster's and Tew's Falls. Greensville up on the mountain is worth a look too.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates from Hamilton


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

^^ Thanks, guys! I've been to Dundas, but it was before I had a decent camera therefore I would like to go back. Some of my family lived there in the 1800's when they arrived from Scotland, and are buried in graveyards there.


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## El_Greco (Apr 1, 2005)

Beautiful autumn colours!


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## StEC (Dec 15, 2012)

WOW what a beautiful collection of photos! I just moved to Hamilton this year and as I been getting to know the city I been saying to myself Hamilton is rich in architecture, nature and very photogenic! If the warm weather ever gets here I plan on photographing the city as well, so I will most definitely share!


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## RaymondHood (Feb 5, 2014)

Thanks for showing us so much of this unjustly overlooked city.


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## Suwhenzetie (Jan 24, 2012)

Any new photos?


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Not at the moment, unfortunately!


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

^^ Perhaps in the near future? I would like to see some updates...


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## Taller Better (Aug 27, 2005)

Thanks to all who participated in my photo threads, but I am winding them up now. Photobucket wants hundreds of dollars to support old posted photos and I'm not going to be pushed into it by them. Perhaps I'll start some new threads!


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