The Guild Inn

The original house on the property of what is now called the Guild Inn Estate was built in 1914 for the Bickford family who referred to their property, romantically, as Ranelagh Park.

In 1921, the Bickford family sold their home to the China Mission Collage and moved to Buffalo. For a number of years, the building housed missionaries bound for China.

By 1932, the Mission had outgrown the establishment and the property changed hands once again. The home was purchased by Rosa Breithaupt Hewetson, a wealthy widow. She married Herbert Spence Clark and the property became their summer home.

The Beginning of the Guild

Rosa and Herbert Spencer Clark shared a deep and abiding appreciation of the Arts. Over many years, they transformed their beloved summer home to a co-operative for artists and crafters. Their dream was to preserve the skills of artisans and build a community of Canadian artists. Over the years, “The Guild of All Arts” proved remarkably successful. It attracted many who came to participate in or witness the expanding operations.

The Guild, as it came to be known, expanded both the main building, increased the number of outbuildings, increased its holdings to cover 500 acres, and spanned almost two and a half kilometres of coastline along Lake Ontario. Rosa and Herbert collected many archetectual pieces from buildings that did not survive the hard years of the depression. 

The Second World War caused great upheaval at The Guild. Materials for many crafts, like weaving and metal working, became scare when supplies were redirected to the war effort. By 1943, the army WRENS used the house for telegraphy training. The main house later became a hospital for war veterans and then fell into a state of disrepar. Over the years, much of the property has been sold off but the remaining eighty-eight acres is no less impressive than it once was.