Stanley Park Gates and Arch

Stanley Park Gates and Arch. A Designated Heritage Site under the Ontario Heritage Act. , The process of officially designating the Stanley Park Gates and Arch under the Ontario Heritage Act was completed in September of 2017. The Gates and Arch are deemed to be of cultural heritage value, and interest. The designation recognizes their design, physical, historical, associative, and contextual values. They are meant to represent the shared heritage of all of Stanley Park, as outlined on the other sign. Additionally, they have significant importance on their own as physical markers of our community's heritage, both locally and in a broader context. Having the Gates and Arch as a proud link to our past is what drove this initiative. , With local community involvement and planning by the Town of Erin, the Gates and Arch were preserved and set aside, as a result of a development application in the early 2000's for lands just to the south. In 2007 the Town and County took ownership of separate parcels on which the Gates and Arch were located. In early 2015 the Town's Heritage Committee raised concerns about the condition and ownership status of the feature. In late 2015 the Town of Erin took formal ownership of the entire site and, as recommended by the Heritage Committee, embarked on formally designating the Gates and Arch. The process was completed in the late summer of 2017. Physical restoration and repairs of the grounds and the feature itself took place from the fall of 2017 to the spring of 2018. , The Gates and Arch were constructed just after the Great War as an entrance for automobiles, signaling the beginning of a change from train travel to the personal automobile. The gates reflect the work of Harry Sanders and Charles Smith, local stone and concrete masons. The gates were constructed using local fieldstones, which are in abundance around the town due to the rocky composition of the regional soils, influenced by the nearby drumlins and Niagara Escarpment. Further, the gates are significant for their positioning along Main Street as a landmark to visitors, both from the past and present. The gates are a reminder of the original use of the lands as a tourist site and are reflective of the masonry work found throughout the Town of Erin. , The Stanley Park Gates and Arch design and construction may have been influenced by the prominence of the Mason and the Loyal Orange Lodge organizations that were located throughout Ontario and locally in this period. The Wellington Lodge of Ancient and Accepted Masons (No. 271) was, and still is, active in the Erin community, and was chartered in 1872. Erin Village and area also had several Loyal Orange Lodges in existence during the Stanley Park time period, including Erin L. O. L. 112. Both the Masons and Orange Orders attach significant symbolism to "arches" that are very similar to the Stanley Park Gates and Arch design. , Thank You , The following organizations and individuals helped with the designation process, , funding, physical restoration, and repair work: , Wellington Masonic Lodge No. 271 , Loyal Orange Lodge Guelph No. 1331 , University of Guelph , County of Wellington Planning staff , Town of Erin Heritage Committee , Town of Erin staff and Council , John Smith, stone mason , Edward Wallace, arch repairs , Paul Lewis, arborist work.