PAGE 8. WHITBY F'REE PRESS. WEDNF-SDAY. MARCH 25 .1987 whibye e s Rich history behind manor An imposing structure at the corner of Byron and Dunlop, streets, it's been home and retreat to the well-knovzn and weaitby of Witby's past as wel as newspaper office, beauty parlor and restaurant. Now. Sberiff's Manor, a banquet and dining' faiity,.ý current owner Peter* Solyom deligbts in recounting to visitors the fascinating figures of local bistory linked witb the castie-like edifice. Solyom bas gathered, photograpbs, some framed for bangmng to augment the rich in- terlior atmosphere, and bistorical anecdotes to more properly pay bornage to wbat is one of the most historically interesting buildings in Whitby.* The name of the restaurant itself recognizes the original owner. He was Sheriff Nelson Gilbert Reynolds (1814-1881), and bis part in tbe building's bistory ac- tually begins about five blocks east. Having dreams of living in a real, castle and, entertaining royalty, Reynolds bad Trafalgar Castle built over a period from 1859 to 1862, on wbat is now Reynolds St. It was an under- taking that proved to be more ex- pensive than envisioned by the sheriff. As Whitby archivist Brian Win- ter relates, Reynolds would bide from bhis creditors in a secret chamber in tbe flagstaff tower. But bis dreams of visiting royalty were once realized as Prince Ar- thur, third son of Queen Victoria, visited in 1869. The prince would later become the Duke of Connaugbt and Governor-General of Canada from 1911 to 1916. Anotber visitor was Sir John A. Macdonald. (Reynolds was sberiff from 1854 to 1881. Before tbat, he bad been tried for treason in the Rebellion of 1837, spent a few montbs imprisonment' in Fort Henry, and was acquitted in a July, 1838 trial in Kingston. He had been living, in Belleville before coming to Witby). Witb the same bricks used in the castle construction, Reynolds had a bouse built in- 1874 on the corner of Byron and Dunlop. It was about one-eigbth of the size of the building now there and was just. a scaled-down version of the castie," ' says Winter. Reynolds sold tbe castle to tbe Metbodist Church in 1874 and moved into the bouse. His wife continued to live in tbe bouse un- til 1885 after Reynolds' death in 1881. Rev. Matthew Gold and wife Elizabeth Ann lived in the bouse from 1885 to 1904. Elizabeth Ann was very wealtby from a legacy left by ber fatber, and she gave enormous amounts of money to cbarity. In 1903, it was discovered that she had actually borrowed tbousands from people to con- tinue ber cbarity. Rev. Gold and Elizabeth Ann split up, a nd tbe boic2t usecws sld to p"ay off their. where bis family bas been in the reÉtaurant business for 450Oyears., Solyom, now 46, moved' from Budapest to Austria in 1956 to begin apprenticeship as.a chef, part of bis eigbt years of Guild training. Following.-Vienna were, short stops as chef in Paris (at the foot of Montinatre) and a Swiss mountain ski meort. But he remembers 1958 as a particularly "good year. " He went to Canada. Manor was home to prominent citizens SHERIFF REYNOLDS had the house constructed ini 1874 ( about one-eighth of its current size), Fred Hatch had it bult in the early 1900's to the size now familiar to many, and recent owners, ineluding current owner and head chef Peter Solyom, have done restoration and remodelling. -. ~. turing Co. made buckles, belts and barnesses for armed forces. In 1904, Fred batcb also bougbt the Gold. bouse. He graduaily built the bouse to its present size, including a solarium wbere he grew orchids. Tbe solarium was apparently donated to the Hat- cbes by General Motors in the 1920's. A regular visitor to tbe home was Sam McLaugbiin, founder of wbat is now General Motors Canada, and wbose father foun- ded the McLaugblin Carniage Co. "How's the weatber Up there? " is a phrase often quoted from McLaugblin, wbo stood five feet, five incbes -taîl, to Fred "Big Maudie" Hatch, wbo stretched six feet, eigbt inches. "Tbey were inseparable pals," says Bill Hatch. "And at one tirne tbey were the only two in the area with cars." William- Buick, Cbarlie Chevrolet and Rufus Olds were among visitors to the bouse, says Bill Hatch. Other stories dlaim that Vincent Massey, Canada's SAM MCLAUGHLIN (1) and FRED HATCH. ",How's the weather up there?" is a phrase that was apparen- tly often used by McLaughlin when with bis friend. ambassador to the U.S. was a visitor as was Calvin Coolidge, former U.S. president. Other prominent. names have been mentioned as visitors to Heydenshore, a stretcb of parkland at Port Wbitby, for- merly the Heyden family proper- ty.1 Bill Hatcb says McLaughlin and bis grandfather bougbt the land in 1900, Fred Hatch later owned ail of it and de veloped it as a summer resort. Hatcb hired a young musician named Guy Lombardo te play at Heyden- shore pavilion, the beginning of bis successful career. A brief visit was apparently made to Heydenshore by AI' Capone, during the bootlegging period, according to another story. One of the big bootleggers at that time was Fred Hatch's first cousin, Harry Hatch. Bull Hatcb says he was a colorful character wbo occupied the entire second floor of the swank Royale Hotel in Wbitby from 1920 to 1932. But Fred later kicked bis cousin out of town, says Bull Hatch, because "be said he didn't want no god- damn bootlegger in Witby. " Fred Hatcb also founded the Whitby. Horse Show in 1913, but World War 1 later ended the event. Fred Hatcb, wbo was born in Bowmanville, died in Wbitby in 1929.,His son, Russeil C. Hatcb, lived in the bouse until be died in 1958. Russell's wife lived in tbe bouse until ber death in 1969. Bill Hatcb, now 60, lived with uncle Russell in the bouse for five years during the 1930's. In 1970, Jean Hughes operated a beauty parlor in the borne. In 1972-73, the Wbitby Free Press of- fice was in the building. In 1973, it became a restaurant. Solyom is well aware of the history of the 7,000 sq. ft. building, from the stained glass windows he rebuilt to tbe secret passage from the bouse to the garage that be apparently found. Bill Hatcb neyer found the passage be beard about when be lived there, and be's deligbted that Solyom discovered it. "It is one of the most colorful buildings here," says Solyom, a native of Budapest, Hungary "It's a young country. There are far more opportunities in young countries, " be says. He worked in Edmonton, Alta, for bis first four months in tbe young country. "I saved enougb money Wo buy an old rickety car and I drove to Ontario." After work in a hotel in Brockville he went back to sehool. "I couldn't speak a work of English when I came here," he recails. In Brockville, he met Phyllils, now bis wife. In 1961, be studied engineering at .,.the.. University of Waterloo. A special day in 1964 saw bim become a Canadian citizen. He promptly went to Pasadena, California. where bis kitchen and engineering- background had belped bim land a job witb Pen- Mar as designer and manager of hotels. "It was a bell of a combo to go forward," be says. "I knew design and I was a chef." PETER ,SOLYOM' Married in 1966, be and Phyllis eventually went into real estate, wbicb took tbem between Canada and Florida "two dozen times-a year. " Tbey eventually took over the Hatcb bouse, which had cbanged banda a few times since becoming a restaurant in 1973, and in recognition of the building's heritage, named it Sheriff's Manor.* "We were once more or less known for banqueta," says Solyom. "But we changed direc- tion from catering, and now we're also known for dining." Once the retreat and enter-j tainment place for the "Who's Who of Whitby and area," SolyQm admits tbat's a tradition he'd ikte to see continue-