Burlington, Oakville and the area once touted as “the Garden of Canada” were renowned for producing some of the finest fruits and vegetables in the province.
The Aldershot Cold Storage facility was built in the 1930s for area farmers requiring refrigerated storage for fruit and vegetables, to prevent deterioration and increase the length of time fruits and vegetables can be stored.
Local farmers rented lockers or stalls to warehouse their fruit and produce, thus ensuring a longer market period. Many of the farmers also held shares in the operation.
The facility was conveniently located on the rail lines with its own rail siding for shipments, and across the tracks from the original Grand Trunk Railway-Aldershot Station, which was demolished in the 1980s.
Situated next to the cold storage was Bowron’s Battery, a large chicken barn, which was destroyed by fire in the 1950s. Never rebuilt, a fellow later housed pigs in the concrete foundations.
After the fire, the adjacent Bowron factory became the Allan Candy manufacturing facility, which had its beginnings in Hamilton in 1931, making sweets like lollipops and Halloween Kisses. Later it moved its operations back to Hamilton.
Aldershot Cold Storage, the decades-old landmark, was situated west of Waterdown Road, next to the rail lines and Hwy. 403. The storage facility was demolished in 2008. Several industrial businesses currently occupy the property.
Jennifer Kemp is a lifelong Burlington resident with a genuine interest in local history, old photos and research. She is a Burlington Historical Society volunteer.
