Sarnia home built in 1855 receives heritage designation

Good timing played a part in Thursday’s unveiling of a plaque marking the heritage designation of Kelly Bell’s house on East Street North in Sarnia.

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The small house started out on Front Street, where it was built in 1855 by Froome Talfourd, who emigrated from England in 1832 with his brother, Field, and arrived in the former Moore Township a few years later. In 1836, they set out the town plot for Froomfield, a community near LaSalle Line and the St. Clair River.

Field returned to England and became an accomplished portraitist, but Froome stayed and became a magistrate, commissioner of the court of requests, Kent militia lieutenant-colonel and visiting superintendent to local First Nations. He lived in Sarnia from 1855-68, then returned to England.

His house, known as the Froome Talfourd Cottage, is said to be one of the city’s oldest structures. It was moved to 378 East St. N. in about 1945.

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Bell has owned the house since 2020 and knew some of its history, but not a great deal about Froome Talfourd.

“It’s his story that’s pretty cool,” he said.

In particular, Talfourd appeared to have carried out his work in a way that led a good relationship with local First Nations, according to accounts, Bell said. “He seemed to do it with grace.”

Observer records say Talfourd was known as “the Englishman who keeps his word” among local First Nations, and was a guest of honor when he retired in 1868 at a Dec. 4 feast hosted by the forefathers of today’s Aamjiwnaang First Nation.

Those feasts continued in Talfourd’s honor after he returned to England until his death in 1902.

The house had been restored before Bell bought it, though he did do work on a small backyard barn added when the home was moved to East Street.

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Bell said he was at Lambton Mall one day after moving and stopped at a temporary storefront set up by the Sarnia Heritage Committee.

He asked someone there about heritage designation, who turned out to be Max Williams, a senior city planner and committee secretary.

“He’s the guy you talk to” for the designation, which was a simple process involving city council approval and a public notice period, Bell said.

“(The designation is) just nice to have,” he said.

It’s the 28th property designated in Sarnia, Williams said.

“Designation is essential protection of the property under the Heritage Act,” Williams said. “That protection is there for as long as the property owner wants to have it there.”

If an owner wishes to demolish a designated building, they have to seek removal of the designating bylaw, Williams said.

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“Basically, that never happens,” he said. “Designation installs a pride of ownership within the property.”

Of 28 properties designated in Sarnia, 13 are owned by the city and the rest are privately owned.

Thursday’s plaque unveiling by Bell and Robert Dickieson, chairperson of the Heritage Committee, was the first since 2018, when a. 1883-vintage home on Brock Street South was designated.

“This cottage embodies a pivotal chapter in our community’s history” when Froome Talfourd “helped to shape the early years of our city’s growth and development,” Dickieson said.

With files from Tyler Kula

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