Townsman, 1991-04, Page 24Blyth Station House
The best of old and new
by Bonnie Gropp
When Chan and Linda Vir of
Toronto first began to ponder the idea
of establishing a bed and breakfast,
the immediate, obvious location was
Stratford. Having been to the theatre
there on several occasions, they wcrc
familiar with the delights of this cul-
tural city and, more monetarily, of the
demand for places for overnight visi-
tors to stay. However, after all
avenues had been explored, thcy dis-
covered most places either did not
meet their standards or wcrc simply
too expensive. Just whcn they had
almost given up hope of ever finding
the perfect spot, fate dealt its different
hand.
It was during a visit to the less
urban arca north of Stratford, that
Linda's quest ended. Aftcr a numbcr
of years of searching, Linda found her
opportunity in a smaller cultural cen-
tre, Blyth.
Blyth Station House has been the
subject of historic interest and litera-
ture for many years. Patrick Kelly,
owner and operator of a sawmill and
door factory in the early 1870's knew
that the village could not grow with-
out a railway connection. He played a
key role in bringing the railway to
town and for almost 70 years it linked
Blyth to outlying communities.
Affectionately named the "Butter and
Egg Special" because it often picked
up passengers along the line who were
carrying a basket of eggs and butter
for the market in London it operated
in a very casual manner. There was
little concern over schedules or regu-
lar stops, with passengers often being
picked up enroute.
In 1941, the train made its last
run, and shortly thereafter the tracks
wcrc removed and an era ended.
What remained was the haunting-
ly empty visage of what had once
been a bustling nerve centre, the train
station. Located at the easterly edge
of town, back off the road, it could
have been left forgotten, left to
become a derelict relic of another time
like so many others before. Thanks to
the nostalgic whimsy of a local village
resident, however, it was saved,
restored and sat a treasured reminder
of days gone by.
When Linda Vir happened upon
it in 1989, she was enchanted. "I had
almost given up ever fmding the right
place. We had tried for years and
places were getting more and more
expensive. Then I saw this place."
Linda could hardly wait to get
back to Toronto and tell her husband
about her discovery. "She dragged me
here the next weekend," Chan remem-
bers. "It's really such a cute place. It's
very distinctive, almost pastoral look-
ing. I fell in love with it as well."
The Virs said the owners before
them had purchased the station in
what was a very run-down condition,
but they had done a great deal of inte-
Linda and Chan Vir enjoy a quiet moment in the quaint dining room of Blyth Station (louse. The bed and breakfast was
formerly a train station.
22 TOWNSMAN/APRIL-MAY 1991