Thursday, July 26, 2007

Hidden Gems of Cabbagetown

As the story goes, early Cabbagetown residents were working class Irish imigrants, many of whom lived below the poverty line. They lived in tiny Victorian row housing, such as The Wellesley Cottages, pictured above. The impoverished residents grew cabbages in their front yards, hence the namesake. Nowadays, these "poor" houses have been beautifully restored, and present residents have increased their space considerably by extensive rear additions that are not visible from the street. Digging in their backyards was a bit of a hazard, however, as bones often washed down from the adjacent St. James Cemetery. Now these and other Cabbagetown historic homes are only affordable to the very rich.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Isn't it interesting -- and ironic -- that someplace hardly anyone would have wanted to live just a few decades ago is so desirable now? I certainly wouldn't mind moving in!

I don't think this is an unusual phenomenon, either. The Huguenot weavers' houses in the East End of London are another example I saw recently.

Zanabel
Olympia Daily Photo

Janet said...

One man's "trash" is another's "treasure." Really pretty homes.

Annie said...

That's a much better story than the alternative, that the old houses were left to decay along with the bones that washed down from the cemetery.