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Stratford is blessed with fine, wide streets in its downtown shopping area. Many of the buildings still retain the quaint, Victorian charm of yester- year, although modern store fronts and up-to-date display techniques mark it as a modern marketing centre. The above view depicts Downie Street as it looked in 1953, with the City Hall in the background. |
| The Beacon (Stratford's own newspaper) of 1895 occupied quarters in the Independent Order of Foresters building, right next to its present location. A small cottage then stood on the site of the present Beacon-Herald building. |  |
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Held in the Market Square behind the City Hall, the market in Stratford was a busy place 50 to 75 years ago. A raised platform extended from Wellington St. to Downie St., and farmers' rigs were backed up to either side of this "promenade" |
| The Town Hall and Market Building pictured above was built on the site of the present City Hall about 1857 - when Stratford's population totalled approximately 3,000. It was destroyed by fire in 1897, and replaced by the present structure two years later. |  |
30ty Sept. 1996