Monday, January 14, 2008
Blog Guelph: Royal City Sky
Here we are at Monday yet again. May you experience the day you want.
Today's series of posts offer some exciting arts news, a Guelph graffiti update, a current look at the weather and a flashback to 2006.
I really dig these downtown heritage buildings - photographed by Mr. Cool Composition, Peter Kelly. Just imagine what this pic would look like if the Petrie building owner cared about preservation.
Sue Richards
Labels: heritage, Peter Kelly
Guelph, Ontario, Canada was founded by John Galt on April 23, 1827. We currently boast a population of 129,295 Guelphites including several thousand students from The University of Guelph.
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Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Blog Guelph: Petrie Building Circa 1882
BlogGuelph Tags: Blog Guelph,,Guelph Blog,Guelph Ontario, Flickr, Guelph Photos, photoblog, City of Guelph.
Guelph, Ontario, Canada was founded by John Galt on April 23, 1827. We currently boast a population of 129,295 Guelphites including several thousand students from The University of Guelph.
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Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Blog Guelph: Where is This?
Chimney beautification.
Leave a comment below if you know where this is. There are no prizes - just pride in knowing.
BlogGuelph Tags: Blog Guelph,,Guelph Blog,Guelph Ontario, Flickr, Guelph Photos, photoblog, City of Guelph.
Guelph, Ontario, Canada was founded by John Galt on April 23, 1827. We currently boast a population of 129,295 Guelphites including several thousand students from The University of Guelph.
Stumble It!
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Blog Guelph: Snow Squall
The big flake snow squalls of the weekend did not stop Digital Ambitions from bravely shooting this photo of one of Guelph's charming older homes.
Sue Richards
Tags: Blog Guelph,University of Guelph, winter, snowGuelph, Sue Richards, Art Jam, Guelph BlogGuelph Ontario, flickrGuelph Photos, photography, photoblog, City of Guelph, Canadian Blog.
blogguelph blogguelph blogguelph blogguelph
Labels: digitalambitions, heritage
Guelph, Ontario, Canada was founded by John Galt on April 23, 1827. We currently boast a population of 129,295 Guelphites including several thousand students from The University of Guelph.
Stumble It!
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Blog Guelph: Matthew Bell - Life Carved in Stone
This will be the third set in the three part series about one of Guelph's talented stonemasons, Matthew Bell. My thanks go out to photographer Cool Baby for feeding me this incredible story.
To view part one and two of the Matthew Bell series, please check through the January archives by clicking on the link in the right hand sidebar. Part one appeared on January 15th. Part Two was posted on January 17th.
Matthew Bell carved the front of The Church of Our Lady Immaculate.
In my opinion, this in itself more than sums up Matthew Bells impact on our community.
There is a myth that he died from a fall while working on the church but there is nothing to support that story in the historic archives of the church or the Guelph Mercury.
Sue Richards
Tags: Blog Guelph,Matthew Bell, Heritage Buildings, downtown guelphGuelph, Sue Richards, Art Jam, Guelph Ontario, flickrGuelph Photos, photography, photoblog, City of Guelph, Canadian Blog.
Labels: church of our lady, cool baby, downtown Guelph, Guelph History, heritage, matthew bell
Guelph, Ontario, Canada was founded by John Galt on April 23, 1827. We currently boast a population of 129,295 Guelphites including several thousand students from The University of Guelph.
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Blog Guelph: St. Boniface Cathedral, Maryhill, Ontario
Gil Stelter, Guelph's go to history guy, claims that St. Boniface Roman Catholic Church was the only church designed by Matthew Bell. Built in 1877, it stands on the highest elevation in the area - a 10 minute drive north west of Guelph.
Sue Richards
Tags: Blog Guelph,Matthew Bell, Heritage Buildings, downtown guelphGuelph, Sue Richards, Art Jam, Guelph Ontario, flickrGuelph Photos, photography, photoblog, City of Guelph, Canadian Blog.
Labels: cool baby, Guelph History, heritage, matthew bell
Guelph, Ontario, Canada was founded by John Galt on April 23, 1827. We currently boast a population of 129,295 Guelphites including several thousand students from The University of Guelph.
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Blog Guelph: St Boniface Main Entrance
According to Cool Baby, there are three sets of the carvings like the ones on either side of the door, running all the way up the front steeple.
Sue Richards
Tags: Blog Guelph,Matthew Bell, Heritage Buildings, downtown guelphGuelph, Sue Richards, Art Jam, Guelph Ontario, flickrGuelph Photos, photography, photoblog, City of Guelph, Canadian Blog.
Labels: cool baby, Guelph History, heritage, matthew bell
Guelph, Ontario, Canada was founded by John Galt on April 23, 1827. We currently boast a population of 129,295 Guelphites including several thousand students from The University of Guelph.
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Blog Guelph: The Mysterious Lady, The Burglary and The Lost Love.
This story comes from the brochure put out by the Woodlawn Cemetery.
" The mysterious lady appeared at the cemetery one morning, placed by an unknown benefactor (sometime between 1903 and 1905).
The statue has been attributed to Matthew Bell. It was one of the statues stolen from the grounds of 40 Albert street. The house at one time had belonged to Bell.
The Grundy family, the owners at the time of the theft, spent summers in Kincardine. While they were away several carved figures were stolen from the grounds.
Local lore speculates that an unknown admirer placed the statue at the grave of Clara Snowden (d 1903 aged 36 yrs).
The limestone statue would have probably been carved during the winter months from a block of soft limestone selected from Bell's own quarry on Water Street."
Sue Richards
Tags: Blog Guelph,Matthew Bell, Heritage Buildings, downtown guelphGuelph, Sue Richards, Art Jam, Guelph Ontario, flickrGuelph Photos, photography, photoblog, City of Guelph, Canadian Blog.
Labels: cool baby, Guelph History, heritage, matthew bell
Guelph, Ontario, Canada was founded by John Galt on April 23, 1827. We currently boast a population of 129,295 Guelphites including several thousand students from The University of Guelph.
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Blog Guelph: The Bell Family Plot
Matthew Bell died on June 28th, 1880. He rests, with his family, in St. Joseph's Cemetery in Guelph.
It is believed he carved the stone as the detail and motifs are the same as many of his buildings. Sadly, four of his ten children died during the 1870's.
The cemetery can be accessed off Westmount Road in Guelph.
Sue Richards
Tags: Blog Guelph,Matthew Bell, Heritage Buildings, downtown guelphGuelph, Sue Richards, Art Jam, Guelph Ontario, flickrGuelph Photos, photography, photoblog, City of Guelph, Canadian Blog.
Labels: cool baby, Guelph History, heritage, matthew bell
Guelph, Ontario, Canada was founded by John Galt on April 23, 1827. We currently boast a population of 129,295 Guelphites including several thousand students from The University of Guelph.
Stumble It!
Monday, January 22, 2007
Blog Guelph: Flakes
Guelph flakes in action.
Sue Richards
Click the photo to see more from this Guelph photo artist.
Tags: Blog Guelph,winter, snow, downtown guelphGuelph, Sue Richards, Art Jam, Guelph Ontario, flickrGuelph Photos, photography, photoblog, City of Guelph, Canadian Blog.
Labels: dezso, heritage, winter
Guelph, Ontario, Canada was founded by John Galt on April 23, 1827. We currently boast a population of 129,295 Guelphites including several thousand students from The University of Guelph.
Stumble It!
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Blog Guelph: Matthew Bell - A Stonemason's Story continues...
On Monday I introduced the Guelph stonemason Matthew Bell by showing off the homes he built and lived in. Thanks to our Flickr photographer Cool Baby - our exploration of Matthew's body of work continues with todays series.
The rather gruesome face is perched over the right hand side window on the main floor of Old City Hall. The mayor's office window is directly above. It's pretty evident that carving such a piece would require incredible talent .
Having worked in the arts for 25 years in this town, I can proudly claim that creative talent is an asset that Guelph continues to have - in spades!
Sue Richards
Tags: Blog Guelph,Matthew Bell, Heritage Buildings, downtown guelphGuelph, Sue Richards, Art Jam, Guelph Ontario, flickrGuelph Photos, photography, photoblog, City of Guelph, Canadian Blog.
Labels: cool baby, downtown Guelph, Guelph History, heritage, matthew bell
Guelph, Ontario, Canada was founded by John Galt on April 23, 1827. We currently boast a population of 129,295 Guelphites including several thousand students from The University of Guelph.
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Blog Guelph: Guelph City Hall
This fine fellow - thought to be Zeus - hangs out over the front entrance to Guelph's Old City Hall.
Sue Richards
Tags: Blog Guelph,Matthew Bell, Heritage Buildings, downtown guelphGuelph, Sue Richards, Art Jam, Guelph Ontario, flickrGuelph Photos, photography, photoblog, City of Guelph, Canadian Blog.
Labels: cool baby, downtown Guelph, Guelph History, heritage, matthew bell
Guelph, Ontario, Canada was founded by John Galt on April 23, 1827. We currently boast a population of 129,295 Guelphites including several thousand students from The University of Guelph.
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Blog Guelph: 25 Manor Park Crescent
Bell's first house sits beside this stone mansion. Cool Baby dug up this tidbit of information from Heritage Guelph.
" Built circa 1857 for Arthur Wells, “Manor Park” is one of the principle stone residences in the City of Guelph. Built from limestone quarried on the property, the house, which faces the Speed River, originally occupied a 10 acre site known as “Wells’ Grove” under the ownership of Arthur Wells."
Sue Richards
Tags: Blog Guelph,Matthew Bell, Heritage Buildings, downtown guelphGuelph, Sue Richards, Art Jam, Guelph Ontario, flickrGuelph Photos, photography, photoblog, City of Guelph, Canadian Blog.
Labels: cool baby, downtown Guelph, Guelph History, heritage, matthew bell
Guelph, Ontario, Canada was founded by John Galt on April 23, 1827. We currently boast a population of 129,295 Guelphites including several thousand students from The University of Guelph.
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Blog Guelph: Portico at Johnston Green
Stone Road and Stone Road Mall were both named after the Stone family. This portico - which is likely the most photographed structure at the University of Guelph thanks to the thousands of annual graduates that pose between its pillars - was the front portico of the Stone family home. Matthew Bell did the carvings.
Sue Richards
Tags: Blog Guelph,Matthew Bell, Heritage Buildings, downtown guelphGuelph, Sue Richards, Art Jam, Guelph Ontario, flickrGuelph Photos, photography, photoblog, City of Guelph, Canadian Blog.
Labels: cool baby, Guelph History, heritage, matthew bell, University of Guelph
Guelph, Ontario, Canada was founded by John Galt on April 23, 1827. We currently boast a population of 129,295 Guelphites including several thousand students from The University of Guelph.
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Blog Guelph: 264 Woolwich Street
This historically designated gem appears abandon midway through extensive renovations. Apparently some issues emerged.
Matthew Bell did the stonework. Canadian author Jean Little lived her for a time.
Sue Richards
Tags: Blog Guelph,Matthew Bell, Heritage Buildings, downtown guelphGuelph, Sue Richards, Art Jam, Guelph Ontario, flickrGuelph Photos, photography, photoblog, City of Guelph, Canadian Blog.
Labels: cool baby, downtown Guelph, Guelph History, heritage, matthew bell
Guelph, Ontario, Canada was founded by John Galt on April 23, 1827. We currently boast a population of 129,295 Guelphites including several thousand students from The University of Guelph.
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Blog Guelph: 93 Wyndham Street
Next time you're downtown, take a gander at the stonework above Robinson Flowers on the north end of Wyndham Street, east side of the Street. Matthew Bell - busy man that he was - is listed as the masonry contractor.
I find it inspiring to review this man's body of work and wonder if he had any awareness of the impact his skill and talent would have on future generations - let alone that he would be spun through the blogosphere on Blog Guelph.
There's more Matthew Bell work to come. Big cheer goes to Cool Baby for inspiring us with this fascinating photo enhanced story.
Sue Richards
Tags: Blog Guelph,Matthew Bell, Heritage Buildings, downtown guelphGuelph, Sue Richards, Art Jam, Guelph Ontario, flickrGuelph Photos, photography, photoblog, City of Guelph, Canadian Blog.
Labels: cool baby, downtown Guelph, Guelph History, heritage, matthew bell
Guelph, Ontario, Canada was founded by John Galt on April 23, 1827. We currently boast a population of 129,295 Guelphites including several thousand students from The University of Guelph.
Stumble It!
Monday, January 15, 2007
Blog Guelph: A Story About Matthew Bell
Blog Guelph would like to start the week off with a series of photos that focus on our architectural heritage.
Matthew Bell arrived in Guelph sometime after 1850. According to Cool Baby - to whom this series of photos and research is credited - Bell appears on the 1871 Guelph census as a Stonemason from England. Our local King of History, Mr. Gil Stelter has written that Bell arrived in Guelph from Newcastle.
This house, located at 281 Water Street was the first house built by Bell in 1856-60. Cool Baby tells me that this photo is part of an inventory of photos stored at our main library. CB did a funky edit job on the image to erase an unfortunate addition.
Sue Richards
Tags: Blog Guelph,Matthew Bell, Heritage Buildings, downtown guelphGuelph, Sue Richards, Art Jam, Guelph Ontario, flickrGuelph Photos, photography, photoblog, City of Guelph, Canadian Blog.
Labels: cool baby, downtown Guelph, Guelph History, heritage, matthew bell
Guelph, Ontario, Canada was founded by John Galt on April 23, 1827. We currently boast a population of 129,295 Guelphites including several thousand students from The University of Guelph.
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Blog Guelph: 281 Water Street 1974 and 2006
Photographer Cool Baby attempts to illustrate why the City of Guelph could do with a good set of heritage building protection laws by presenting a before and an after shot of 281 Water Street.
Recently while on one of those meandering Sunday walks, I ended up in this backyard - not realizing any of the historic significance of my location - yet curious about the large squared limestone chunks strewn about.
Apparently the house was used as the servant quarters for 25 Manor Park.
Sue Richards
Tags: Blog Guelph,Matthew Bell, Heritage Buildings, downtown guelphGuelph, Sue Richards, Art Jam, Guelph Ontario, flickrGuelph Photos, photography, photoblog, City of Guelph, Canadian Blog.
Labels: cool baby, downtown Guelph, Guelph History, heritage, matthew bell
Guelph, Ontario, Canada was founded by John Galt on April 23, 1827. We currently boast a population of 129,295 Guelphites including several thousand students from The University of Guelph.
Stumble It!
Blog Guelph: House of Heads
Bell's second house - The House of Heads - sits beside the John McCrea House/Museum on Water Street. According to Cool Baby, Matthew Bell lived here.
Sue Richards
Tags: Blog Guelph,Matthew Bell, Heritage Buildings, downtown guelphGuelph, Sue Richards, Art Jam, Guelph Ontario, flickrGuelph Photos, photography, photoblog, City of Guelph, Canadian Blog.
Labels: cool baby, downtown Guelph, Guelph History, heritage, matthew bell
Guelph, Ontario, Canada was founded by John Galt on April 23, 1827. We currently boast a population of 129,295 Guelphites including several thousand students from The University of Guelph.
Stumble It!
Blog Guelph: Detailed House of Heads
Not the most cheerful lot of heads - a total of eight unknown grimacing guys adorn the Water Street House of Heads. Perhaps these dudes were former employers of Bell.
I wonder if Bell realized that he was contributing to Guelph's cultural heritage as he did his carvings.
Sue Richards
Tags: Blog Guelph,Matthew Bell, Heritage Buildings, downtown guelphGuelph, Sue Richards, Art Jam, Guelph Ontario, flickrGuelph Photos, photography, photoblog, City of Guelph, Canadian Blog.
Labels: cool baby, downtown Guelph, Guelph History, heritage, matthew bell
Guelph, Ontario, Canada was founded by John Galt on April 23, 1827. We currently boast a population of 129,295 Guelphites including several thousand students from The University of Guelph.
Stumble It!
Blog Guelph: 40 Albert Street
Directly behind the Water Street House of Heads, you'll find Matthew Bells third home, now known as the 'Bell-Carlton House'.
Sue Richards
Tags: Blog Guelph,Matthew Bell, Heritage Buildings, downtown guelphGuelph, Sue Richards, Art Jam, Guelph Ontario, flickrGuelph Photos, photography, photoblog, City of Guelph, Canadian Blog.
Labels: cool baby, downtown Guelph, Guelph History, heritage, matthew bell
Guelph, Ontario, Canada was founded by John Galt on April 23, 1827. We currently boast a population of 129,295 Guelphites including several thousand students from The University of Guelph.
Stumble It!
Blog Guelph: 49 Albert Street
Here Bell changes his artistic focus from grimacing men to bovine heads and a wreath like motif. Cool Baby notes that this is the same relief work that can be found on the Johnston Green Portico at the University of Guelph - yet another work of art by Matthew Bell.
The Matthew Bell series will continue.
Sue Richards
Tags: Blog Guelph,Matthew Bell, Heritage Buildings, downtown guelphGuelph, Sue Richards, Art Jam, Guelph Ontario, flickrGuelph Photos, photography, photoblog, City of Guelph, Canadian Blog.
Labels: cool baby, downtown Guelph, Guelph History, heritage, matthew bell
Guelph, Ontario, Canada was founded by John Galt on April 23, 1827. We currently boast a population of 129,295 Guelphites including several thousand students from The University of Guelph.
Stumble It!
Monday, January 08, 2007
Blog Guelph: Guelph Roof Tops
I'm starting off the week by focusing upwards.
Today's series looks at the top of our town. Downtown Guelph's skyline boasts some pretty cool roof tops - do you know where this one is?
Sue Richards
Photo by: Digital Ambitions. Click the pic.
Tags: Blog Guelph,heritage buildings, Guelph architecture, downtown guelphGuelph, Sue Richards, Art Jam, Guelph Ontario, flickrGuelph Photos, photography, photoblog, City of Guelph, Canadian Blog.
Labels: digitalambitions, downtown Guelph, heritage
Guelph, Ontario, Canada was founded by John Galt on April 23, 1827. We currently boast a population of 129,295 Guelphites including several thousand students from The University of Guelph.
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Blog Guelph: The Guelph Armory
Photographer Denim was obviously looking waaaaay up when she took this snap of Guelph's own castle like armory. You'll find this nifty turret-top on Wyndham Street N..
Sue Richards
Tags: Blog Guelph,heritage buildings, Guelph architecture, downtown guelphGuelph, Sue Richards, Art Jam, Guelph Ontario, flickrGuelph Photos, photography, photoblog, City of Guelph, Canadian Blog.
Labels: denim, downtown Guelph, heritage
Guelph, Ontario, Canada was founded by John Galt on April 23, 1827. We currently boast a population of 129,295 Guelphites including several thousand students from The University of Guelph.
Stumble It!
Blog Guelph: Heritage Jail House
