Written By Alice Gibb
In the pre-World War 1 period, there were often two community meeting places in rural communities – the local post office and the railway station. The village of Denfield was no exception.
Denfield, originally known as the Welsh Settlement, was first settled by John Matthews of Glamorganshire, South Wales. After making his fortune in the States, Matthews returned to Wales, only to discover many of his relatives living in poverty. His solution was to bring willing family to the wilds of Upper Canada, where Matthews believed they would thrive “by dint of honest industry.” In 1821 he brought his first 35 family members to the northwest corner of London Township. Between 1821 and 1851, about 175 Welsh settlers claimed land in this part of London Township.
The first post office was opened by Benjamin W. Rosser in the family’s farm home on Con. 14 in 1865. The post office was named Denfield – the English variation of the name Penfilid, which had been the Rosser home in Wales. Just to confuse the issue, the village itself was called Brecon, after a Welsh town. It was only after the railway came in 1876, and it was discovered that there was another Brecon in Ontario, that Denfield became the community’s official name.
The “boom” period for Denfield started in 1876, when the London, Huron & Bruce Railroad was built east of the sideroad. Due to the location of a spring-fed creek north of the railway station, Denfield became an important water stop on the rail line. The tall, wooden water tower near the station became Denfield’s first and only skyscraper.
The London, Huron & Bruce Railway erected a house for the section foreman and his family on the east side of the tracks. In much later years, the home was moved to Front Street - still in use as a private home in 1990.
With the arrival of the railroad, it was obvious accommodation was needed for visitors. Two hotels were built almost immediately. The Orr Hotel on Station Street was directly across from the station. After the hotel closed, it became a private residence, but was destroyed by fire in 1925. The second hotel was the Denfield Hotel on the northwest corner of Front and Station streets. It was built and operated by Mr. Scandrett, a prominent London wholesale grocer. The north side of the hotel provided a stable for the convenience of railway passengers. The top floor of the
Denfield Hotel was a community hall, hosting meetings, concerts, traveling shows and other social gatherings. Sadly, once travel by car became more affordable, business at both hotels plummeted. The Denfield Hotel was dismantled in 1937 by T.J. Patrick of the Ilderton area, who used the materials to add outbuildings to his farm.
