“The Lattimor House” was the name of a hotel located near Manilla, Ontario. In 1877 a new railroad went through this area, and a year later Fred Thomas built the Albion Hotel near one of the stations on the new line, south of Manilla. In 1879 W. S. Lattimor of Seagrave, Ontario took over the hotel and renamed it “The Lattimor House” in 1880.

Lattimor House
By the early 1880's a community of houses, commercial buildings and a church had sprung up around the hotel. Farmers brought their grain and turnips here to be shipped south, and passengers got on and off the train at the station across from The Lattimor House.

Several different proprietors operated the Lattimor House until the mid-20th century, when it closed its doors as a hotel. It stood abandoned for several years until 1970, when George and Margaret Dart converted it to a private residence.

Barry Dart grew up in the Lattimor House while his father was restoring the building to its original 1880's style. Barry remembers always being surrounded by antiques, and helping his father refinish furniture and old woodwork. He also inherited a rich Quaker background. Barry is a direct descendant of J. B. Gould, one of the founding fathers of the town of Uxbridge.

In the late 1980's, Barry began attending farm auctions, picking up antique furniture and restoring it for reauction. Later, a local dealer suggested that he try building a dry sink. This was the beginning of a small, weekend business. Barry began making copies of small pieces of early Canadian furniture, such as hall tables and hanging cupboards. He began devising his own distressing technique, to give his reproductions an authentic, antique look. At this point he was operating out of a shop he had built in the front end of the old liverey stable of Lattimor House, which still stands on the property.

In 1991, Barry began building his furniture full time, after losing a job in the computer industry because of downsizing. After several years his business had expanded to the point that he was able to build a new shop on his own property. In February of 1997 he said goodbye to the Lattimor House liverey stable, but has retained the old name.

Barry's goal has always been quality craftsmanship and an authentic look. He searched for 5 years for the cast-iron hardware so characteristic of Canadian period furntiure. He finally located a foundry in the UK that was still using 110-year-old castings to manufacture the kind of hardware he needed. Barry hand-cuts all his dovetails, and turns table legs and knobs himself from old profiles. He also developed a wearing and distressing technique that reflects the use the furniture piece would have had over many years. He wanted his furniture to have a natural appearance of age.

Barry now has two other associates learning his craft. Each piece of furniture is still hand-made, one piece at a time. His furniture is sold beside some of the finest Canadiana pine in the country. Barry remarks, “Losing my job in the computer industry is the best thing that ever happened to me.” If you ask him what his vision is, he'll tell you, “I'm just trying to create furniture with an aged charm.”