Description of Historic Place

The Millcroft Inn is located at 55 John Street, on the north side of John Street, north of Queen Street West, in the Village of Alton, Town of Caledon. The three storey stone mill building and a two storey stone warehouse were constructed in 1881.

The property was designated, by the Town of Caledon in 1991, for its heritage value, under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, By-law 91-121.

Heritage Value

Located at 55 John Street, the Millcroft Inn is situated next to a dam on Shaw's Creek, a branch of the Credit River. The ruins of a stone dye house, once an integral part of the woollen mill, stand across the dam, from the main mill building.

The Millcroft Inn is associated with one of Alton's major industries, the Ward and Dods woollen mill. The Millcroft Inn, originally known as the Alton Knitting Mill and locally as the 'Upper Mill', was built for Benjamin Ward in 1881 of stone from the Inglewood quarries. John M. Dods, Ward's son-in-law, purchased the business from Benjamin in 1892. A stone warehouse, known as the Little Mill, was built across the roadway and was once connected to the main mill building by an overhead steel catwalk, which was manufactured in Alton, by Dick's Foundry. The mill remained in operation until 1965.

An excellent example of adaptive re-use, the Upper Mill was converted into a restaurant and hotel in the 1970s, and the Little Mill was turned into a conference centre, with meeting rooms, in the 1980s.

The Millcroft Inn reflects a vernacular industrial style, its various additions evidence of its evolution over time. The building features an exposed basement level on the north elevation, and the third storey has been rebuilt into a mansard roofline with bay windows. The building's windows illustrate a variety of detailing. The southwest elevation windows possess rough-cut stone lintels above and stone lugsills beneath, while the west elevation windows feature red arched stone voussoirs and stone lugsills. The mill's west elevation features a tower-like projection located on the third storey with a stepped stone wall above. Ten iron tie rods, responsible for binding the building together, are visible above the first and second storeys on the southwest elevation. An east wing maintains the same style as the main building. The Millcroft Inn's date stone lies in the southwest corner of the building.

The flat roofed stone warehouse continues the style of the larger building with its simplicity and vernacular adaptations. The west facade is dominated by a double doored main entrance with transom.

Source: Town of Caledon By-law 91-121.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of the Millcroft Inn and Warehouse include its:
- situation on a branch of the Credit River
- proximity to the dye house ruins
- date stone
- three storey stone exterior
- mansard roof
- grey stone dentils
- exposed basement
- windows with stone lintels and lugsills
- windows with red arched stone voussoirs and stone lugsills
- west elevation tower-like projection
- west elevation stepped stone wall
- two storey stone exterior of the warehouse
- double door entrance with transom
- red and grey stone quoins
- red and grey stone door and window lintels and lugsills