Necropolis Chapel, Toronto

At the edge of Toronto’s Don Valley, in Cabbagetown, stands the Necropolis Chapel, one of the city’s finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture. Designed by Henry Langley and completed in 1872, the chapel forms part of Toronto Necropolis, the city’s first non-sectarian cemetery.

From the outside, you can't help noticing the chapel's steeply pitched roof. Two different patterns of slate create a subtle multicolored effect, while the sharp gables give the building its distinctive Gothic profile. Around the entrance, notice the pointed stone arch, decorative trefoils, and wrought-iron fencing. The nearby gate and caretaker’s house continue the same design, with white wooden ornamentation along the gables and porch.

Now, look toward the east side of the chapel. The square tower rises above the yellow-brick walls, giving the building an intentionally asymmetrical appearance. Together with the steep roofline, it makes the structure seem to rise upward toward the tower.

The surrounding cemetery is also significant for the people buried here. Among them are William Lyon Mackenzie, Toronto’s first mayor, and George Brown, a prominent politician, newspaper publisher, and one of the Fathers of Confederation.

As you continue through the grounds, take a moment to notice how the chapel, gates, mature trees, and historic monuments come together to create one of Toronto’s most atmospheric 19th-century cemetery landscapes.