William Davies Company Commemorative Plaque, 2012
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Original JPG File | 8400 × 6000 pixels (50.4 MP) 71.1 cm × 50.8 cm @ 300 PPI |
6.1 MB | Restricted |
Low resolution print | 2000 × 1429 pixels (2.86 MP) 16.9 cm × 12.1 cm @ 300 PPI |
720 KB | Restricted |
Screen | 1120 × 800 pixels (0.9 MP) 9.5 cm × 6.8 cm @ 300 PPI |
298 KB | Restricted |
Resource ID
5031
Access
Open
Address
120 Bayview Avenue; Corktown Commons
Credit Line
Heritage Toronto
Date of Creation
2012
Historical Themes
Business History, Food and Drink, Industrial Heritage
Program Category
Historical Plaques
Rights
Heritage Toronto
Time Period
1835-1899, 1900-1953
Caption
William Davies Company Commemorative Plaque, 2012
Description
From 1874 to 1927, this site was home to the William Davies Company, reputed to be the largest pork packing plant in the British Empire. Established in 1857 by William Davies (1831-1921), the company made its fortune preparing and exporting cured sides of pork to England. Later, its products were sold through William Davies Company shops, one of Canada's first store chains. In its buildings here, the innovative company controlled the entire process from slaughter to shipment. Processing nearly 500, 000 hogs annually by 1900, the company contributed to the city's nickname, "Hogtown."
In 1892, Joseph Flavelle (1858-1939) became a partner and managing director of the company. Under Flavelle, the business flourished until the 1920s, when it was hurt by falling markets. The William Davies Company merged with three other packing firms to create Canada Packers, which continued to operate from this site until 1932. The last of the company's buildings here were demolished in the 1990s.
Marker lat / long: 43.65359, -79.35193 (WGS84)