Brae Manor was originally built in 1892 and was the home of the “boss” of the Green Lane Mine Pits (now Green Lane Sports Park). With many locals still referring to it as Dr McAlpine’s place (1970’s), it has seen several owners and was purchased by the Szarka family in 2018.

With dreams of restoring it to its original glory, they have been hard at work both restoring the inside of the 6 bedroom home and the 8 acres of grounds. The home boasts original floors, trim, stained glass and mouldings (did you know Paris actually got its name from the manufacturing of plaster of Paris?)

It is a constant work in progress.

The grounds include century old apple and apricot trees as well as walnut, chestnut and hazelnut trees. A new orchard has been planted including pear, plum, cherry, peach and heritage apple specimens. Bushes include raspberry, gooseberry, red currant, strawberry, blueberry, and elderberry. Tisane perennials include echinacea, bee balm, rose, lavender and mint. There are numerous lilac, lavender, rose and hydrangea bushes for sachet making and pretty much any perennial you can name. Among many others, the pottager garden includes sunflowers, peppers, tomatoes, lettuces, beets, and herbs.

Brae Manor has 8 chickens: Evelyn (Azure Blue) and Mildred (Americana) Joan and Agnes (Copper Marans), Lucinda (Barred Plymouth Rock), Rose and Ginger (River Rock Reds) and Edith who is our Matriarch (Rhode Island Red and a complete free loader as she has not laid an egg in years)!

Brae Manor is home to bees at the back of the property. They are cared for by boutique apiarist Ted Parkes who manages a small number of pampered hives and runs Teddy Bee Honey. All Teddy Bee product is 100% pure Ontario honey and is minimally filtered and unpasteurized. The bees are managed in the most holistic way possible, using no harsh chemicals. The honey is the highest quality, all natural, small batch, extracted and bottled by hand. www.teddybeehoney.com

Brae Manor Hobby Farm is a labour of love for the Szarka family. We consider it a great blessing to be the stewards of Brae Manor for this period of time.

Mother Nature’s beauty is meant to be shared and it is our joy and pleasure to be able to welcome you to our property.

We ask that you respect that this is not our main business and that this is our family home.

Kindness and goodness remain our guiding principles.

We look forward to offering you a place to rediscover simplicity, creativity and gratitude.