January 2023
In the early days of British North America, traveling to distant towns and villages, either on horseback or by stagecoach, could take days or even weeks. Taverns, offering food, drink and a place to sleep for the night, popped-up along the popular stagecoach routes, catering to the weary and hungry travelers. One of these surviving taverns can be found in the historic Village of Blair, now part of Cambridge, Ontario.
Blair, originally called Singlebridge, was first settled in 1800 by Samuel D. Betzner, Pennsylvania Dutch (Mennonite) immigrant. This is where John Lamb established Lamb’s Inn, on what’s now known as Blair Road, in 1837.
Lamb’s Inn proved to be a very popular establishment, and over the next two centuries, would go through several owners and house several business establishments, from an Inn, to a fine dining restaurant, to a notoriously rowdy watering hole, know as Nicholson’s Tavern. It has also served as a venue for as a de facto community centre for social functions.
The building has undergone numerous renovations over the past two centuries, including a mid-20th Century addition at the rear of the building. This addition was demolished a few years ago, as a part of a complete restoration of the almost-200-year-old building, revealing an old stone summer kitchen, measuring roughly 300 square feet, which was completely hidden by this now-demolished addition.
Around half of the main floor was gutted and the cobblestone bar that was part of the Nicholson’s Tavern-era is gone. The walls have been opened up and the old floor has also been replaced and levelled. The ground floor has now been made accessible for those with mobility issues, with the addition of a new accessibility ramp and sidewalk.
The exterior bricks and cobblestones installed in the 1940s have been removed and replaced with wood siding.
The historic roadhouse can be found at 1679 Blair Road in Cambridge.
Sources: https://www.cambridgetimes.ca/news-story/9136525-latest-renovation-completed-on-blair-s-lamb-s-inn/, https://www.klusster.com/klussters/journeys-into-cambridge-ontario/publications/a-new-chapter-in-the-history-of-the-lamb-s-inn-323, https://raresites.wordpress.com/2017/01/04/a-step-back-in-time-a-look-at-rares-historic-buildings/, About Cambridge – Blair – Cambridge Visitor Information Centre (visitcambridgeontario.com), https://www.cambridgetoday.ca/lets-eat/rolled-ribs-kept-diners-returning-to-nicholsons-tavern-in-blair-5702816, https://www.cambridge.ca/en/learn-about/resources/Blair-Village-HCDP.pdf.
