Sketch of the William Pring House from 1856
Since 2012, HGH has been at home in the heritage limestone mansion, the William Pring House.
It was built in 1855 for William Pring and his large family. William and his wife, Henrietta, had nine children: William, Emily, Ferdinand, Flora, Benjamin, Charles, Henry, Mary and Henrietta.
Pring was the Customs Surveyor for Hamilton, which was a major import-export hub for Upper Canada at the time. In 1860, he would have overseen the building of the New Customs House, which is now the Workers’ Arts and Heritage Museum.
After 1860, Pring moved to Port Colbourne, and one by one his children grew up and moved away. After his death in 1870, the house was bought by Duncan MacNabb, who never lived there, but owned it and rented it out for over thirty years. He was no relation to the MacNab family who owned Dundurn Castle at the same time!
20th Century
Dr William Hopkins bought the house in 1908 and lived here with his family. He carried on his practice here. His wife, Mynora Beamer, was a concert pianist and piano teacher, and taught her students in the building as well.
After Dr Hopkins’ death in 1933, the house changed hands many times. Over the next eighty years, it was used as a rooming house, as a water filtration business, split into three separate units, and used as a family home.
21st Century
Our hostel, then called the Hamilton Guesthouse, opened in September 2010 in a house on Victoria Avenue. It soon became clear that a larger venue was necessary! In early 2012, the William Pring House was put on the market for the last time, and we were fortunate enough to be able to buy it. We are so honoured to be able to own this piece of Hamilton’s history.
Architecture
Unfortunately, when you visit the Pring today, you won’t see too many original features. There are two doors to the lounge – and they are curved! It’s possible that the room was once curved in all four corners. The spectacular spiral staircase, with its delicately carved handrail, dates back to 1855. The front door is new, as are the windows, but the lovely fanlight window over the door and the stone pillars outside are original. Of course, the limestone of the building is original too – blackened with soot in places from Hamilton’s industrial heritage.
1861 Census
Document: 1911census
