Black Bull Tavern, Queen Street West, June 27, 2019. Image by Ali Mosleh.
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| File information | File dimensions | File size | Options |
Original JPG File | 3600 × 2400 pixels (8.64 MP) 30.5 cm × 20.3 cm @ 300 PPI | 6.6 MB | Restricted |
Low resolution print | 2000 × 1333 pixels (2.67 MP) 16.9 cm × 11.3 cm @ 300 PPI | 1.0 MB | Restricted |
Screen | 1200 × 800 pixels (0.96 MP) 10.2 cm × 6.8 cm @ 300 PPI | 436 KB | Restricted |
Resource ID
7584
Access
Open
Credit Line
Image by Ali Mosleh
Date of Creation
27 June 2019
Description
The Black Bull Tavern is thought to be the oldest tavern, pub, or public house in the city, dating back to the early or mid-1830s. Back then, taverns like the Black Bull were among the only places where you could get a “sit-down” (as opposed to grab and go) meal in the city. There were few restaurants in small towns like Toronto.
Taverns also offered an affordable place to stay for the night. At the Black Bull, downstairs was a place to eat and drink; upstairs were rented rooms. Farmers taking their produce to market- whether that was vegetables, fruit, or even livestock, like cattle or sheep, often would take advantage of these taverns as they were entering or leaving Toronto. The hotel portion was originally known as the “Drover’s Inn”- a “drover” being the person who “drove” livestock to market. Early plans for this section of Toronto actually suggest that there was a livestock paddock just opposite the tavern.
Keywords
food, agricultural history, Black Bull Tavern, Restaurants, Dining
Program Category
Tours
Rights
Ali Mosleh
Caption
Black Bull Tavern, Queen Street West, June 27, 2019. Image by Ali Mosleh.
