South Hill is an area of Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. It is located north of downtown covering the area west of Avenue Road, south of St. Clair Avenue

St. Clair Avenue

St. Clair Avenue is a major east-west street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was laid out in the late 18th century by the British as a concession road , north of Bloor Street and north of Queen Street....

, east of Spadina Road

Spadina Avenue

Spadina Avenue is one of the most prominent streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Running through the western section of downtown, the road has a very different character in different neighbourhoods....

, and north of the Canadian Pacific railway tracks. The area is dominated by the steep hill of the former Lake Iroquois

Glacial Lake Iroquois

Glacial Lake Iroquois was a prehistoric proglacial lake that existed at the end of the last ice age approximately 13,000 years ago.The lake was essentially an enlargement of the present Lake Ontario that formed because the St. Lawrence River downstream from the lake was blocked by the ice sheet...

 shoreline. The Nordheimer Ravine

Castle Frank Brook

Castle Frank Brook is a buried creek and south-west flowing tributary of the Don River in central and north-western Toronto, Ontario, originating near the intersection of Lawrence Avenue and Dufferin Street....

 also cuts through the area, which is surrounded by Winston Churchill Park, this park covers the northwestern portion of South Hill.

History

The first settlers of York, Upper Canada

York, Upper Canada

York was the name of Old Toronto between 1793 and 1834. It was the second capital of Upper Canada.- History :The town was established in 1793 by Governor John Graves Simcoe, with a new 'Fort York' on the site of the last French 'Fort Toronto'...

 divided the area that would become South Hill into concession in 1793. One large section of the area went to Peter Russell

Peter Russell (politician)

Peter Russell was a gambler, government official, politician and judge in Upper Canada.-Early life:...

 and Russell Hill Road continues to run through the centre of the neighbourhood. In the late nineteenth century the area became home to some of the wealthiest citizens of Toronto. They built a series of manors along the top of the hill. These included Senator John Macdonald

John Macdonald (Canadian politician)

John Macdonald was a Canadian merchant, churchman, philanthropist, and politician in the late 19th century in Toronto. He was a major patron of the Young Men's Christian Association and the Toronto General Hospital...

's Oaklands

De La Salle College (Toronto)

De La Salle College "Oaklands" is an independent co-educational Catholic school in Toronto, Ontario. It is operated by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools as a university preparatory institution in the Roman Catholic tradition as founded by Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle in...

, the Eaton family's Ardwold

Ardwold

Ardwold was the residence of Sir John Craig Eaton and Lady Eaton of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Sir John was the youngest son of Timothy Eaton, the founder of the T. Eaton Company Department Store, or Eaton's, and he inherited the business and became its president upon his father's death in 1907...

, Samuel Nordheimer

Samuel Nordheimer

Samuel Nordheimer was a prominent businessman and music promoter in 19th century Toronto. A Bavarian immigrant, he lived first in New York and then in Kingston, Ontario, before settling in Toronto in 1844. He and his older brother Abraham established a piano importing business, A.& S. Nordheimer Co...

's Glenedyth, James Austin's Spadina

Spadina House

Spadina Museum, also called Spadina , is a historic manor on Spadina Road in Toronto, Canada that is now a museum operated by the City of Toronto Cultural Services. The museum preserves the house much as it existed and developed historically...

, William McMaster

William McMaster

William McMaster was a wholesaler, Senator and banker in the 19th century. A director of the Bank of Montreal from 1864–1867, he was a driving force behind the creation of the Canadian Bank of Commerce of which he served as the founding president from 1867 to his death in 1887.He served in the...

's Rathnelly, and most prominently Henry Pellatt

Henry Pellatt

Major-General Sir Henry Mill Pellatt, C.V.O. was a well-known Canadian financier and soldier....

's Casa Loma

Casa Loma

Casa Loma is a Gothic Revival style house in midtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that is now a museum and landmark. It was originally a residence for financier Sir Henry Mill Pellatt. Casa Loma was constructed over a three-year period from 1911–1914. The architect of the mansion was E. J...

. The area was annexed to the city of Toronto in a series of sections beginning in 1905. It has remained an expensive residential, though most of the manors have today either been demolished or converted to other uses.

Republic of Rathnelly

The southeastern section of South Hill is known as Rathnelly. Rathnelly takes its name from the former Rathnelly house built in 1830 by William McMaster, which was named after his birth place in Rathnelly, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

. During the celebration of Canada's centennial

Canadian Centennial

The Canadian Centennial was a year long celebration held in 1967 when Canada celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation. Celebrations occurred throughout the year but culminated on Dominion Day, July 1. 1967 coins were different from previous years' issues, with animals on each...

in 1967, the Rathnelly neighbourhood declared itself an independent republic. To mark its independence, the "Republic of Rathnelly" elected a queen, organized a parade, formed an "air farce" of 1,000 helium balloons, and issued Republic of Rathnelly passports to everyone in the neighbourhood. The Republic of Rathnelly continues to celebrate with a bi-annual street party.