Kew Gardens

Kew Gardens is a large park in The Beaches neighbourhood of Toronto, Canada. The park stretches from Queen Street East to the lakeshore at Kew Beach. The park began as a private 20-acre (81,000 m) farm owned by Joseph Williams in the 1850s. As more visitors from the city began to visit the lake front he transformed his holdings into a tourist destination. He set up a large park and built several recreation facilities on the site beginning in 1879, naming it after Kew Gardens in London. Williams built a substantial house for himself on the site, which still stands and is home to the park's caretaker. On the lakeshore Williams built facilities for swimming and boating. Inland there were picnic areas, trails, tennis courts and lawn...