Sophisticated Sutton the darling of GTA commuters looking for more - luxury lifestyle on offer here amid lakes, forests
HUMOURIST STEPHEN LEACOCK, who was born in England, was six years old when he moved with his family to Canada. The family settled on a farm on the shores of Lake Simcoe in Egypt, not far from the village of Sutton.
WRITER MAZO DE LA ROCHE, best known for her Jalna series, is buried near the grave of Stephen Leacock at St. George’s Anglican Church at Sibbald Point in Sutton. The church, completed in 1877, is said to be the most beautiful church in the Town of Georgina.
GEORGINA DATES TO the late 1790s, when Lt.-Gov. John Graves Simcoe named the eastern portion of the modern-town Georgina in honour of King George III, and the eastern portion North Gwillimbury for his wife’s maiden name, Gwillim. It wasn’t until 1986 that the Townships of North Gwillimbury and Georgina amalgamated as the Town of Georgina.
Sutton, along with the neighbouring Lake Simcoe community of Jackson’s Point, is the historic heart of the Town of Georgina in York Region.
Carved out of the forests by aristocrats, Sutton today is a lively village whose cultural and historical “Upper Canadian” character continues to attract visitors from the GTA each year.
Sutton, situated around the small Black River, joins Jackson’s Point, a popular tourist destination, closer to the beaches of Lake Simcoe. Sibbald Point Provincial Park, which boasts more than 3,000 feet of prime lakeshore, is located within Sutton’s boundaries to the east of Jackson’s Point.
Like many settlements in Ontario, industry was the driving force behind Sutton’s origins. The site was first a dam, impeding the flow of the Black River about two kilometres in from Lake Simcoe. It was originally named Bouchier Mills, after James O’Brien Bouchier, the former midshipman in the British Royal Navy who built the dam in 1831.
Landed gentry
The settlement gradually grew with the addition of a grist mill and a general store. Soon, the village added a post office — the first in Georgina — and a schoolhouse, which also served as a church until 1858 and as a Town Hall until the mid-1850s. In 1864, after more growth, including the building of St. James Anglican Church, the village’s name was changed from Bouchier Mills to Sutton.
Whereas most communities in York Region were founded by working men and women, Georgina was created by aristocratic families, many whose roots went back to the retired military officers who were given the first land grants to settle the area. Most of Georgina’s communities are named for these early citizens — Jackson and Sibbald among them.
The landed gentry built stately manors and manicured estates that resembled those found in Britain. One of those old manor homes is Eildon Hall, which has been preserved as a museum at Sibbald Point Provincial Park, the family’s estate for 130 years. It is the home of Susan Sibbald, who left her family estate in Scotland in 1835 and settled along the shores of Lake Simcoe, where she was determined to bring Old World luxury and refinement to her new adopted country. Costumed interpreters, treasured heirloom and priceless family stories bring this period of history to life at the museum.
Because of the social standing of Georgina’s early citizens, the area became known for its culture and refinement, attributes that later transformed it into an urbane playground for wealthy urbanites.
Plenty of lakes, forests and history to explore
By the late 19th century, tourists had discovered the allure of Lake Simcoe and flocked to its southern shore in droves. Hotels and dance halls catering to this seasonal clientele dotted the lakeshore, and numerous cottages were built. Georgina also became a literary sanctuary, where the likes of Stephen Leacock, Mazo de la Roche and Lucy Maud Montgomery would find inspiration for their works.
The Briars Resort, Spa and Conference Centre at Jackson’s Point is another reminder of the area’s rich history. Built in 1840, it was originally one of the most elegant estates on Lake Simcoe and was the home of retired Royal Navy Captain William Bourchier. It was sold in the 1870s to Dr. Frank Sibbald, one of Susan Sibbald’s children. The heritage property, which includes a championship Scottish woodlands golf course, live summer entertainment in the Red Barn Theatre (temporarily moved to Keswick due to fire) and a full spa, is still in the Sibbald family today.
Visitors to modern-day Sutton and Jackson’s Point come for the forests, the lake and the history. Sibbald Point Provincial Park is Sutton’s gem, with forested hiking trails, long sand beaches, large grassy picnic areas and campsites. Several species of birds make Sibbald Point a stopover on their migration north. If you’re lucky, you might spot wild turkeys and pileated woodpeckers. You can see Georgina Island, home of the Chippawa First Nation of Georgina, from the park’s shoreline.
On the cultural front, the Georgina Arts Centre and Gallery is not to be missed. Opened in 2001, the gallery, which showcases Canada’s finest artists, with an emphasis on local talent, boasts an extensive public gallery of original works, a retail shop with a selection of beautiful arts and crafts, a unique native gallery and a coffee house which is the perfect setting for poetry readings, music and meetings.
Check out 'Unknown Group of Seven Member'
The gallery gained worldwide recognition in 2004 when it acquired the Smith-Chiarandini collection featuring the work of renowned painter Albert Chiarandini, who had his first exhibit with The Group of Seven in 1938 and went on to become known as “The Unknown Group of Seven Member.” The collection was donated by Bruce Smith, a former student of Chiarandini who also painted and displayed with The Group of Seven.
Sutton is also home base for the annual Blue Bridge Festival of chamber music, poetry and song and the Georgina Highland Gathering.
Of course, fishing is big throughout Georgina, where several big money tournaments are held each year. The area is known as the Ice Fishing Capital of the World, with the Canadian Ice Fishing Championship held here each year. In summer, the town’s Jackson’s Point Harbour is a busy place, with boaters staying overnight to enjoy the area’s restaurants and entertainment.
The Town of Georgina is currently studying development concepts for a three-property section of Jackson’s Point. With a municipal park sandwiched between Lionshead Lakefront Resort, which wants to redevelop its property, and the Bonnie Boats marina, the town has decided the time is right for a co-ordinated approach that could see all three owners team up, and even swap land, to yield the best possible development.
Black River, with access to Lake Simcoe
The resort envisions the construction of an eight-storey hotel, eight-storey condo building, new pier with boat slips and improvements to the municipal park and the Bonnie Boats property to accommodate the new development.
While growth in Sutton has been proceeding at a slower pace than in Keswick (
see separate profile on Keswick), Georgina’s largest urban centre on the other side of town, on Cook’s Bay, the village’s natural beauty continues to attract new residents away from the Greater Toronto Area. Developers are taking advantage of Sutton’s forest and water assets to create a luxurious lifestyle where peace and privacy are the order of the day.
On the resale market, recent listings for waterfront property in Sutton included a renovated circa 1850 four-bedroom heritage home on a 1.6-acre estate lot, with 355 feet of land fronting on the Black River with access to Lake Simcoe, for $569,000.