Wolford Chapel
 | |
| Established | 1958 |
|---|---|
| Location | Honiton, Devon, England |
| Type |
Historic house museum Ontario Heritage Trust |
| Website | OHT page |
Wolford Chapel is the burial place of John Graves Simcoe, the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada. It is the property of the Canadian province of Ontario,[1] and flies the Flag of Canada despite being in the English countryside.
The chapel was part of the Simcoe Estate near Honiton, Devon, in South West England and was built on John Graves Simcoe's commission in 1802.
Following Simcoe's death on October 26, 1806 the estate remained with the family, but was eventually sold and some parts broken up. The Chapel, alongside most of the estate, was acquired by British publisher Sir Geoffrey Harmsworth. Consideration of what to do with the chapel remained, and various ideas were put forward including transporting it to Canada. However, in 1966, Harmsworth decided to donate the chapel to the Ontario Heritage Trust.
On September 27, 1966, just under 160 years after Simcoe's death, Harmsworth gave a deed to then-Premier of Ontario John Robarts, alongside a deed making a permanent right of way to access the property, presented by Mr A G LeMarchant.
Simcoe's wife and children are also buried at the site, which is maintained by local people on behalf of the John Graves Simcoe Memorial Foundation.
References
External links
Media related to Wolford Chapel at Wikimedia Commons
- "Wolford Chapel Historical Plaque". ontarioplaques.com. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
- "thestar.com | Toronto Star | Canada's largest daily". thestar.com. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
Coordinates: 50°50′25″N 3°13′36″W / 50.8402°N 3.2268°W