Description of Historic Place

The Flint Cottage and Flint Shelter are located at 1097 Commissioners Road West and 1040 Flint Lane, on the north side of Commissioners Road, south of the Thames River and northwest of the intersection of Commissioners Road and North Street, in the former Village of Byron, now the City of London. The two one-storey cobblestone cottages were constructed in 1837 and 1857 respectively.

The property was designated, by the City of London, in 1979, for its historic or architectural value or interest, under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (By-law L.S.P.-2413-101).

Heritage Value

The Flint Cottage and Shelter are very rare local examples of cobblestone construction. They also serve to exemplify the work and fortunes of the Flints, an important pioneer family, of the former Village of Byron, and Township of Westminster, now the City of London.

The Flint Cottage, the more modest westernmost cobblestone building, was erected by Robert Flint, in 1837. Flint emigrated from the British Isles to America in 1834, and soon after had moved to Byron, Ontario. The Flint Shelter was built in 1857, by Robert Flint and his son Pirney. The cut stone dressing and the more elaborate front entrance of the 1857 cottage denotes a considerable increase in prosperity, of the Flint Family, over the time when the original cottage to the west was built. Both the cottage and the shelter share cobblestone construction, symmetrical façades and hip roofs.

The cottage and shelter remained in the possession of the Flint family until 1891, when they were purchased by the London Board of Commissioners. They have been used for civic purposes since that time, most notably the use of the 1837 cottage, as a stop and shelter for the Springbank line, of the London Street Railway.

The cottage and shelter are situated in close proximity to each other providing a critical view that exemplifies the changing living standards of the family as they become more prosperous over time. The cottage and shelter's location within Springbank Park and on the southbank of the Thames River acts as a constant reminder for the park users of the contributions of early settlers to the Byron area.

Sources: City of London, By-law L.S.P.-2413-101; Flint Cottage and Shelter, Springbank Park.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of the Flint Cottage and Shelter include their:
- one-storey cobblestone construction
- hip-roofs
- symmetrical façades
- stone dressing on the cottage
- cut stone dressing on the corner of windows and doors on the shelter