It was not supposed to be overcast. The forecast was for earlier cloud and rain to clear out by the evening. And, where I had been, in Ingersoll, Ontario, that actually happened. However, when I got to Hespeler, a part of the greater Cambridge area, the overcast, bland sky remained. So, I attempted to make lemonade out of those lemons. What I got will not win any awards but came out pretty decent considering the conditions.
The images in the gallery below were mostly taken in the Jacob’s Landing area of the former town of Hespeler. In 1973, the town, along with nearby Galt and Preston were joined (mostly against the will of the people) to create Cambridge. Luckily, even after nearly 50 years, each town retains something of its original individual character.
Further below in this article, there is a driving tour video that we published a few months ago that shows Hespeler, along with Galt and Preston.
Hespeler, Ontario Image Gallery
For full-size, high resolution versions for any of the photos in the image gallery, simply click on the individual pictures. Even though sunset was still a good amount of time away, the sky was so dreary that the long exposure photos were possible with just a polarizer filter.
Hespeler, Ontario
The town of Hespeler was settled in 1830 along, straddling the Speed River. The town was incorporated in 1901 and, as mentioned, became part of the newly formed city of Cambridge in 1973. Cambridge, in turn, is part of the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, along with Kitchener and Waterloo.
This part of Cambridge is just north of the main highway 401 while Galt and Preston are south of the busy artery. The centre of town is 91 KM west of downtown Toronto, Ontario. Interestingly, it is just 16 kilometres south of downtown Guelph while it is 19 KM east of downtown Kitchener.
The town has a history in the textiles and woolens industry, along with the furniture manufacturing business. The shells of those factories are now being repurposed into housing in the way of condominiums and smaller businesses.
Shown in the images above are the train tracks that cross the Speed River, not far downstream from the dam. The dam shown is the Silknit Dam, which creates the Hespeler Millpond upstream. Some of the images are taken from Jacob’s Landing.
The Speed River begins northeast of Guelph, Ontario and joins up with the Eramosa River within the city of Guelph. Above that city, the river is dammed up to create the Guelph Lake Conservation Area. Not far downstream from Hespeler, the river empties into the Grand River. The Grand, in turn, travels to Lake Erie.
Cambridge, Ontario Driving Tour Video
This video takes you on a driving tour of the three main centres of Cambridge: Galt, Hespeler and Preston. If you like what you see, please give it a ‘Thumb’s Up’ in YouTube. If you love what you see, please consider subscribing to our YouTube Channel!
