On Saturday, May 21, A Taste of the World Walks – a group dedicated to hosting walking tours for “foodies”, literary and history junkies in Toronto – has planned a tour of all the places in Swansea connected to Montgomery when she lived there during the last seven years of her life.
From 1935 to 1942, Montgomery lived at the address 210 Riverside Drive, at which she is pictured above. They called it "Journey's End" and it would be their last home together. In her letter to her friend, G.B. MacMillan, Maud wrote, "We live on a winding road on the bank of the Humber River...behind us is a deep ravine of pines and oaks...we have two fireplaces, three bathrooms and all kinds of electrical 'plugs' for sweeping, ironing and washing etc..." It is believed that Montgomery modeled Jane of Lantern Hill's home in Toronto after "Journey's End".
Originally a village separate from Toronto, Swansea’s borders are made up of the Humber River to the West, High Park to the east, Bloor St to the north and Lake Ontario to the south. There is also a small park named after the famous author at the corner of Riverside Crescent and Riverside Drive.
According to A Taste of the World Walks’ Facebook event for Saturday, participants are to meet at the phone booths near the exit of Runnymede Station at 3:00. To see more details about the event, log onto Facebook and then click here!
Photo - L.M. Montgomery at the front door of her home, Journey's End, in Toronto.
