Original Williams Sawmill

Open by chance or appointment.

When you first approach the heart of the Glen from across the Credit River this is the building that you see – a sunflower-yellow three-and-a-half storey building against the backdrop of a curtain of trees on the hill behind. As you get closer, then you may notice the stone foundation or the texture of a cedar-shake roof. Both this building and the hydro-electric plant were built against the bank so that the diverted river used the natural drop in the terrain; both the upper and the lower floors could be accessed from ground level as a consequence.

On this Main Street level, the wide front porch overhangs 3 doors – once wide open to accommodate the movement of logs. The first floor is unique, there are no weight bearing walls or posts, as the middle span of the upper floor is supported by a rod system in the attic. The current benefit is that studio walls could be shifted as required.

On this floor and the one above, each of the studios occupies a corner footprint of the sixty-by-forty foot space, with most of them at 600 square feet or larger. All of these studio / workshops are open to clients by appointment or are private.

This heritage industrial building was designated as a property of historic and architectural significance and was illustrated in the Halton County Atlas of 1877. As the oldest Williams building it has also seen many industries carried out within its walls: built on the foundation of the Williams family’s earlier sawmill this building functioned as a sawmill – from the 1850’s until 1881, from 1891 a woollen hosiery knitting mill, Apple Products processing from 1935 until closing in 1985, bought by the Brock family shortly thereafter – first rented to an environmental instrument manufacturer, then from 1994 artists’ studios including art classes, design offices, and the Glen Tavern.