Cabbagetown

Cabbagetown Review

Mockingly named by outsiders for the cabbages that grew on tiny lawns and were cooked in nearly every house, the term is used with a combination of inverse pride and almost wistful irony today. Although it has few tourist attractions per se, it's fun to stroll around and enjoy the architectural diversity of this funky residential area. The enclave extends roughly from Parliament Street on the west—about 1½ km (1 mi) due east of Yonge Street—to the Don River on the east, and from Bloor Street on the north to Queen Street East on the south.

The St. James Cemetery at the northeast corner of Parliament and Wellesley streets contains interesting burial monuments, including the small yellow-brick Gothic Chapel of St. James-the-Less with a handsome spire rising from the church nave. Built between 1859 and 1860, it is still considered one of the most beautiful church buildings in the country. Also nearby is Necropolis Cemetery, the resting place of many of Toronto's pioneers—including Toronto's first mayor, William Lyon Mackenzie. The 1872 chapel, gate, and gatehouse of the nonsectarian burial ground constitute one of the most attractive groupings of small Victorian buildings in Toronto.