Remembering Mississauga’s famed Royal Exchange Hotel

The Royal Exchange Hotel once stood on the north side of Dundas Street in the village of Erindale. Originally known as the “Halfway House” (as it was roughly halfway between York and Hamilton, and was an important early stagecoach stop), its date of construction is not known for certain. It is believed to have been built between 1822 and 1828, although other references provide an 1819 date. 

Erindale - Royal Exchange Hotel, c1905

In 1837 John Tiers was listed as the proprietor of the Halfway House in Springfield (later renamed Erindale). In 1851, Emerson Taylor purchased the Halfway House and renamed it the “Royal Exchange Hotel.”  In 1859, Emerson Taylor was appointed the local magistrate and post master. Under Emerson Taylor’s direction, the Hotel became known, in an advertisement from 1866, as the “model house of Peel County” with the very best of accommodations, beds and food. 

Emerson Taylor sold the Royal Exchange Hotel to Frank Morley, of Cooksville, in 1884, and he in turn sold it to Charles Joseph Lamphier in 1892 for five thousand dollars. Charles Lamphier had first come to the village around 1890 and ran a small store beside the hotel. Charles was the eldest son of Jane Joseph Lamphier of Burnhamthorpe, Charles passed away in 1894 at the young age of 37. The hotel was sold at auction to George Golding and William Downey of Summerville. 

The first telephone in the village was reportedly installed in the hotel in 1896. In 1898, George Golding sold the inn to John Ough of Streetsville, who in turn sold it to Michael Butler later that same year. In November of 1900, Patrick Lamphier, the youngest son of Jane and Joseph Lamphier and brother of the late Charles, became the new owner of the inn. 

Erindale, c1908, showing Royal Exchange Hotel at centre

During Patrick’s ownership of the inn, he became quite active in the village, most notably as head of the selection committee for the Erindale Electrics football team and as a football referee. In 1901, Patrick Lamphier had the old hotel completely renovated and repainted. After the nearby grist mill burned in 1902, Patrick Lamphier was part of the building bee that reconstructed the mill the following year, and it was Patrick who spoke on the opening of the new mill and offered congratulations to those who had helped. 

In 1903, Patrick installed a new branch office for the Perisian Steam Laundry Company in the Royal Exchange Hotel. By 1914, Patrick turned the large hall above the stable into a dance pavilion. By 1916, business had begun to take a downturn with the temperance movement and the prohibition of alcohol sales. Not to be deterred, Patrick fashioned the old hotel into a social gathering place and a fine temperance inn. At this time, he also became the sales representative for the new Chevrolet Car, and invited prospective buyers to contact him by phone or letter at the inn. During the First World War Patrick sold Victory Bonds from the inn. 

Royal Exchange Hotel, Erindale, 1859 Tremaine Map

In 1919, Patrick Lamphier sold the old hotel, then nearing 100 years old, to Robert Hyde. Under Hyde’s ownership the hotel was run by George Merridew. In May of 1919, tragedy struck the village of Erindale as fire swept through the central portion of the village, claiming stores, homes, the village hall and, sadly, the Royal Exchange Hotel. Once the focal point for the village of Erindale, the old hotel was never replaced.