Description of Historic Place

The Queen's Tavern is located at 1215 Queen's Bush Road, on the north side of the road between Water Street and Nafziger Road, in the Township of Wellesley. This two-storey fieldstone and brick building was designed in the Georgian style and it was constructed in 1855.

The property was designated, by the Township of Wellesley, for its historic and architectural value, under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (By-law 41/86).

Heritage Value

The Queen's Tavern was one of the first buildings erected in the Wellesley settlement. It was constructed in 1855 by Hugh Freeborn, who was originally from Donegal, Ireland. Between 1857 and 1881 the building was owned by William Doersam and was known as the Black Horse Inn. The hotel was renamed “The Queen's”, in 1894, by owner Louis Schaub. It is thought that the name change was in honour of Queen Victoria's 75th birthday. During its time as a hotel the building also served as a school house, council chambers and a band practice hall.

The Queen's Tavern is a typical example of the Georgian style. The original building was constructed of mixed fieldstone from Waterloo County and had three symmetrical bays. At a later date, a two bay wide addition was made to the east end in salmon and yellow brick. The east facade features two square attic windows, return eaves and circular tie rods.

Source: Township of Wellesley, By-law 41-86.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of the Queen's Tavern include its:
- south facade with five bays built of stone and salmon and yellow brick
- west facade of irregular mixed fieldstone construction with two square attic windows, return eaves and circular tie rods
- existing roofline of the designated sections of the building