Hornby was established around 1818. One of the earliest settlers, James Skirrow, named it after Hornby Castle in Lancashire, England.
Hornby is ideally situated along Steeles Avenue and close to Trafalgar Road. Even in the early days, a lot of traffic passed through, which meant many business opportunities arose. Hotels, sawmills and stores operated, with a schoolhouse and post office also opening. In 1831, John and Martha Cowin moved their family to Hornby and donated land for St. Stephen's Church.
When the Grand Trunk Railroad opened in 1856, it went through Acton and Georgetown, diverting a lot of the traffic that originally went through Hornby. It soon began to see only occasional travelers.
This changed again, however, when Highway 401 was built close by. Although traffic has picked up once again, for the most part it remains a quiet community.
Brain’s Brewery
John Brain was born in England where he learned the art of beer making from his father. He migrated to North America, first living in Philadelphia. He met his wife, Kathryn Hand Foster, while there. Kathryn was a unique character and had been disowned by her family due to her determination to work as a hotel cook. John, on the other hand, was not upset by his bride’s ambition.
The couple and their young son made their way to Halton County in 1824, building a log cabin near Hornby. For a short time, they operated a shingle business, but John’s homebrew became so popular with neighbours that he opened a brewery.
The original brew had an 80% alcohol content, but at customers' requests, he lowered it to 30%.
The brewery closed in 1916 when the entire province went under prohibition. It reopened in 1927 after the repeal but it never reached the same level of popularity and closed. Despite this, it remains one of Hornby’s most notable historical businesses.
