The West End

I've been working or living or both in Toronto for 30 years this year. One of the first places I worked was the Rowntree plant where they made Coffee Crisp, Kit Kat and so on. It's on Sterling Road which is sort of inner west end next to the main railway line (currently being upgraded as a high speed link to the airport). It's an area that used to be like similar areas in many North American cities; railway, factories, small 1.5-2 storey workers' houses etc. In recent years I've only been out that way for performances in various odd spaces or trendy galleries. To cut a long story short, yesterday I took my bike out that way for an explore. I wandered up Sterling Road and some other back streets east of the railway then crossed at Bloor and worked my way south on and around Sorauren.

The Rowntree plant, now owned by Nestlé, is still there and is bigger than I remembered. All around it is demolition and former factories either vacant or turned to quasi industrial space uses like a large gym and various workshop and storage spaces. The housing is still much as it was but a little run down and definitely looking as if most of it is rented.





The other side of the tracks is rather different. Here the former industrial is cheek by jowl with the now trendy and expensive Roncesvalles/High Park area. There are still some empty factories but there are also expensive looking loft conversions and trendy galleries, like Gallery 345. There's a big park between Sorauren and the railway with something called a "town square"set to open this week.





More photos here.