Description of Historic Place

Jubilee Terrace Park, located at 10 Brant Avenue, is situated on 2.25 acres of land surrounding the Armouries, close to the edge of the Grand River, in the City of Brantford. It was constructed in 1897.

Jubilee Terrace Park has been designated for its historic value by the City of Brantford under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (By-law 187-96).

Heritage Value

The location of Jubilee Terrace Park, close to the water's edge, is where much of Brantford's history began. It is the general location where Joseph Brant forded the river, with the Mohawk Nation, in 1784, to settle nearby. It is also the location of the first white settlement buildings. John Stalts, the first known settler, at Brant's Ford, built his log cabin, in 1805, where the Boer War Monument stands today.

In 1877, the Brantford Canoe Club was formed, and the original clubhouse was constructed where Jubilee Terrace Park stands today. Jubilee Terrace Park is associated with Queen Victoria, as in 1897, in celebration of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, it was designated a park.

The Boer War Memorial, which proudly stands in Jubilee Terrace Park, was erected, in 1903, in remembrance of the Brantford men who lost their lives in the Boer War. There were thirty men who volunteered to fight with the British and Canadian units, in South Africa, in 1899. The monument, designed by Hamilton MacArthur of Ottawa, depicts a soldier ready for battle mounted on a granite base. On each of the four sides of the base are bronze panels. One panel depicts the three Brantford heroes who lost their lives. The three remaining plaques illustrate the respective battles in which they fell. The monument is further adorned with a Howitzer cannon. The base of the monument was surrounded by a planting bed, and still is.

Since 1897, Jubilee Terrace Park has been used as a promenade, adjacent to the waterfront, where residents of Brantford could enjoy a scenic view of the Grand River. The elevated terrace provides picturesque sightlines of the Lorne Bridge, the trestle railway bridge, the former industrial sites and the natural features of the Grand River.

Sources: City of Brantford By-law 187-96; City of Brantford, Reasons for the Designation.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of Jubilee Terrace Park include the:
- location, where Joseph Brant forded the River with the Mohawk Nation, and where John Stalts, the first known settler built his log cabin
- Brantford Canoe Club
- Boer War Memorial created by Hamilton MacArthur complete with Howitzer cannon and surrounding planting bed
- promenade adjacent to the waterfront
- siting which provides scenic views of the Grand River
- sightlines of the Lorne Bridge, the trestle railway bridge, and natural features of the Grand River