Farr's Brewery

John Farr (1782-1874, a native of Hertfordshire, England), established a brewery on the south side of Lot (now Queen) Street. west of the present Niagara St. on the west bank of Garrison Creek, in 1820. He built the brewery out of logs and later replaced it with one built of bricks. It was later opperated by a number of owners and leesees including: Owen Staples, Wallis & Moss, and John Cornell. In 1893, a commercial block was built on the site.

Farr's Bewery c1888

Apparently in 1820, when when Farr got his original lease on the land, there was only one other brewery in York. After this, the number of breweries and distilleries in York grew at an astonishing rate with an even more astonishing annual production volume. Farr's Brewery served the community from the earliest years and also played a role in the 1837 Rebellion as a meeting place. Its existence also encouraged westward settlement in the Garrison lands. Information from “A Glimpse of Toronto’s History” the Toronto Historical Society and the Maps Project. MPLS #184

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