Walking Tour of Historic Galt

4 km round trip (1 hour on foot)

Start: Parkhill Rd parking lot

This walking tour loops on both sides of the Grand River, offering spectacular views of the river and the stone architecture of the buildings lining the banks.  Notice some of Galt’s impressive mural artwork along the way.  Take some time and stop for coffee or lunch at one of the many coffee shops and restaurants you will pass along your way.

William Dickson purchased 30,000 acres of land along the Grand River in 1816 and hired Absalom Shade to manage his property.  Shade built a mill, a distillery and a general store at the junction of Mill Creek and the Grand River.  Farmers flocked to the mill and other businesses prospered.   Many of the buildings were built of local limestone, which gives the city its distinct character.  In 1827, when the post office arrived, Dickson renamed the community, Galt, after a Scottish novelist who was the Commissioner of the Canada Company, hoping to attract Scottish settlers to the area. In 1973, Galt was amalgamated with the town of Preston and the village of Hespeler to become the City of Cambridge.  

Start your tour at the Park Hill Road Parking Lot (1) at the corner of Park Hill Rd W and George St N on the west side of the Grand River.  Turn L onto Park Hill Rd W.  Stay on the north side of the road and cross the bridge over the Grand River.  There is a good view of the Cambridge Mill (2), formerly the Dickson Mill, named after the founder of Galt. This has been renovated into an upscale restaurant overlooking the river. 

Cross Park Hill Rd W at the lights and walk through the stone ruins of the Turnbull Woollen Mill in Mill Race Park (3)  Note the Morris Lutz House (4), at the south end of the park, which was built of local limestone rubble in about 1850, for Morris Lutz, the first mayor of Galt.  

At the end of the park, cross Water St N at the lights and walk up Dickson St.  Note the impressive mural (5) on the side of a building at the back of the parking lot on your R.  Continue up Dickson St past Ainslie St towards Cambridge City Hall (6).  The first building on the L is the Cambridge Farmers Market, founded about 1830, and open every Saturday morning.  After you pass the market, you will see Wesley United Church, built in 1878, at the back of the parking lot.  The next building, built of dressed limestone, is the old Galt City Hall,  built in 1857.  The clock tower was added in 1897 to celebrate Queen Victoria’s jubilee.  The new, architecturally modern building at the back of the civic square is the modern LEED certified new Cambridge City Hall, opened in 2008 to serve the amalgamated city.  The final building, on the corner of Wellington St, is the Cambridge Centre for the Arts. 

Cross Dickson St at the lights, and go back towards the Grand River.  Take a detour to the L at Petty Pl and look at the murals (7) on the back walls of the buildings in the parking lot.  Then return to Dickson St and turn L.  Continue to Water St N and turn L. Continue past the Main St Bridge onto Water St S. Continue walking to a small park and walk up the ramp to the new pedestrian bridge (8).  Stop to photograph the magnificent views of the architectural gems of Galt along the banks of the Grand River.

Turn L onto Grand Ave S and walk past MacDougall Cottage (9), a stone labourer’s cottage, built in 1860, known for its beautifully painted walls and trompe l’oeil ceiling (free admission).  Note the Hamilton Family Theatre Cambridge (10) on the other side of the road, where you can catch a live theatre performance year-round.  Continue walking to the start of the trail just before the corner of Grand Ave S and Cedar St. Turn L onto the trail, which continues along the banks of the river behind MacDougall Cottage. Follow the scenic trail past the pedestrian bridge to the Cambridge Sculpture Garden (11) and Galt Horticultural Society Garden (12). Walk through the parking lot at the end of the trail to Melville St S. The University of Waterloo School of Architecture (13) is on your R, located on the edge of the river in a converted century-old silk mill. 

When you get to Queens Square (14) stop and admire the historic buildings in front of you. At the edge of the Main St bridge, on the N side of the square is Central Presbyterian Church (15), with its magnificent spire, which was built by a dissident group of Presbyterians in 1882.  On your left, beside the cenotaph is Grace Bible Church (16), which was previously the original Knox Presbyterian Church, built in 1860. 

At the far end of the square on the R, across from Grace Bible Church, is The Idea Exchange (17), Cambridge’s central library.

Cross Queen’s Square from Melville St S to Melville St N and proceed up Melville St N to Trinity Anglican Church (18), with its solid square tower. It was built in 1844 on land donated by William Dickson.  Cross Trinity Park diagonally on your left and turn R onto Grand Ave N.  Walk past St Pauls Lutheran Church (19), built in 1912, to the end of the street and turn L on Park Hill Rd W, and cross at the lights to return to your starting point (1).

The Whale Mural, Seen from Dickson St, Cambridge

View of Galt from Pedestrian Bridge