Thomas Speight Wagon Works
Encyclopedia
Thomas Speight Wagon Works was a Canadian
carriage
builder based in Markham, Ontario
and was the biggest supplier of horsecar
s for the Toronto Street Railways
.
, England
, established a wagon
manufacturing facility in the village of Markham. The operations grew on Main Street Markham. Some parts of the wagon builder were located on the west side of Main Street north of Highway 7, just south of the St. Andrew's United Church and later on the east side of Main Street (20 Main Street). James Speight, son of Thomas, continued the family business in Markham and was the first reeve of Markham Village in 1873.
John Speight established a carriage builder, John Speight and Sons
in the 1850s in Acton, Ontario
by the 1850s and remained there until his death. His company was passed on to J.A. Speight.
Speight also operated a planing mill
and sash-and-door factory near the wagon works.
One office building near 20 Main Street became Beare Sons & Clayton General Motors
dealership and in 1921 as Markham Garage. The factory buildings and the garage burned down in 1922. Today the site of the old factory and garage has been replaced with several businesses fronting Main Street and a condo in the rear. The company had a warehouse at 102 Front Street East in Toronto.
The Speights and some of their employess had homes along Main Street. Some of the homes survive today, such as 40–44 Main Street North. James Speight built his home at 73 Main Street, now the Wedding Cake House.
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...
carriage
Carriage
A carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, since they are wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be light,...
builder based in Markham, Ontario
Markham, Ontario
Markham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...
and was the biggest supplier of horsecar
Horsecar
A horsecar or horse-drawn tram is an animal-powered streetcar or tram.These early forms of public transport developed out of industrial haulage routes that had long been in existence, and from the omnibus routes that first ran on public streets in the 1820s, using the newly improved iron or steel...
s for the Toronto Street Railways
Toronto Street Railways
After the Williams Omnibus Bus Line had become heavily loaded in 1861, the city of Toronto issued a transit franchise for a horse-drawn street railway. The winner was Alexander Easton's Toronto Street Railway which opened the first street railway line in Canada on September 11, 1861, operating...
.
History
In 1830, Thomas Speight of YorkshireYorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, established a wagon
Wagon
A wagon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals; it was formerly often called a wain, and if low and sideless may be called a dray, trolley or float....
manufacturing facility in the village of Markham. The operations grew on Main Street Markham. Some parts of the wagon builder were located on the west side of Main Street north of Highway 7, just south of the St. Andrew's United Church and later on the east side of Main Street (20 Main Street). James Speight, son of Thomas, continued the family business in Markham and was the first reeve of Markham Village in 1873.
John Speight established a carriage builder, John Speight and Sons
John Speight and Sons
John Speight and Sons was a Canadian carriage builder in Acton, Ontario and linked to Thomas Speight Wagon Works of Markham, Ontario.Speight was also a trustee of the Acton Public Burying Ground....
in the 1850s in Acton, Ontario
Acton, Ontario
Acton is a community located in the Town of Halton Hills, in Halton Region, Ontario, Canada.Acton is located on Highway 7 and the former Highway 25. Acton is served by GO Transit bus service on the Georgetown line corridor.-History:Acton was first named Danville when Settler Wheeler Green opened...
by the 1850s and remained there until his death. His company was passed on to J.A. Speight.
Speight also operated a planing mill
Planing mill
A planing mill is a facility that takes cut and seasoned boards from a sawmill and turns them into finished dimensional lumber. Machines used in the mill include the planer and matcher, the molding machines, and varieties of saws...
and sash-and-door factory near the wagon works.
End of Speight Wagon Works
The Markham factory remained in operation until November 1917, likely due to the decline in use of wagons and sleighs with use of the automobiles.One office building near 20 Main Street became Beare Sons & Clayton General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
dealership and in 1921 as Markham Garage. The factory buildings and the garage burned down in 1922. Today the site of the old factory and garage has been replaced with several businesses fronting Main Street and a condo in the rear. The company had a warehouse at 102 Front Street East in Toronto.
The Speights and some of their employess had homes along Main Street. Some of the homes survive today, such as 40–44 Main Street North. James Speight built his home at 73 Main Street, now the Wedding Cake House.