Incorporated in 1910, named in honour of Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and close confidant of Queen Victoria, the city's historical roots go back as far as 1698. Beaconsfield, in its current form, was developed as a cottage community by affluent Montreal residents. Over the decades, the city has transformed from summer homes, to year-round residents, and has flourished.[5]
Maison Beaurepaire, house built circa 1765 on the location of the first concession of Jean Guenet[7]
In 1678, the Sulpician Order, who owned the Island of Montreal at the time, granted the first concession in this area to Jean Guenet, one of the main merchants of Ville-Marie and tax collector for the island's Seigneurs. Guenet named his concession, located at Pointe Beaurepaire or Thompson Point but now known as Pointe à Quenet, "Beau Repaire". Following the Great Peace of Montreal Treaty in 1701, permanent settlement began that led to farming communities along Lake Saint-Louis.[8][9][10]
In 1713, the Parish of St-Joachim de la Pointe Claire was created, which included the present territory of the cities of Beaconsfield, Kirkland and Pointe-Claire.[11]
In 1855, the Grand Trunk Railway was built through the area, and the Canadian Pacific Railway in the 1880s. These brought summer residents from Montreal and the pioneer farming settlement began to transform to a summer cottage resort.[10][11]
The name Beaconsfield is first attributed to John Henry Menzies who in 1870 bought a country estate then known as "Le Bocage" (originally built by Paul Urgèle Gabriel Valois in 1810). He renamed it in 1877 after Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, who was his friend. In time, this name was also used for its train station (which opened in 1879), golf club (opened in 1902), and the Post Office (opened in 1904).[8][10][11]
The City (Ville) of Beaconsfield was formed on June 30, 1910, when it split off from the Parish of Saint-Joachim de la Pointe-Claire. In the census of 1911, it had 375 persons, 60 families living in 60 houses. It grew slowly to 990 inhabitants by 1951. During the 1950s and 1960s, Beaconsfield rapidly developed as a residential suburb. By 1966, the last original farm concession began to be developed for residences.[10][11]
On March 19, 1966, Beaconsfield changed statutes from Ville to Cité ("city"), but on September 18, 1982, this was reverted.[12]
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Beaconsfield had a population of 19,277 living in 6,753 of its 6,915 total private dwellings, a change of −0.2% from its 2016 population of 19,324. With a land area of 11.03 km2 (4.26 sq mi), it had a population density of 1,747.7/km2 (4,526.5/sq mi) in 2021.[16]
Beaconsfield's local government consists of a mayor and six city councillors, each elected to represent one of the city's wards.[26] The current mayor of Beaconsfield is Georges Bourelle, who has held the office since 2013. Following the city's 2021 Municipal Election, the council consists of Bourelle and the following six councillors:
Beaconsfield has a number of parks and athletic facilities[27]
The Recreation Centre, an indoor recreation complex, with a full-sized ice rink, semi-Olympic pool, gymnasium and youth centre. It is home to the Beaconsfield Bluefins, a competitive swim club that has trained athletes from beginner to national competition levels. It is also home to the Lakeshore Panthers, a Quebec minor hockey league, and the Beaconsfield Oldtimers Hockey Association.
Two private yacht clubs on municipal land: Beaconsfield Yacht Club[28] and Lord Reading Yacht Club.
Christmas Park: baseball, tennis, and basketball during the summer and a hockey rink in the winter.
Windermere Park: Soccer, baseball, tennis, and basketball during the summer and a skating rink in the winter.
Centennial Beach: dog friendly
Centennial Park
Mouse Park
Saint James Park
Drummond
Beacon Hill Park: baseball, tennis, and swimming during the summer and a hockey rink and sledding hill in the winter.
City Lane Park
Local landmarks
Centennial Hall community and cultural centre
Village Beaurepaire, a commercial development in the heart of Beaconsfield which began in 1925 with the opening of a general store by Sidney Cunningham, the first president of the Beaconsfield Citizen's Association.[33] Home to local bakeries, pubs, Marche Beaurepaire (a weekly farmers market), and shops.
The historic cultural centre, Centennial Hall, where exhibitions and concerts take place.
La Palette Art Gallery & Art School
The Beaconsfield Library, with an extensive digital and print collection and excellent reference services. Established in 1951, the library was housed in a broom closet and bookmobile. Only in 1968 did it move to its present location thanks to the financial aid of City Council.[34]
Beaconsfield Animal Services, a small dog pound located behind the Beaconsfield Library, the lawn bowling green, and Herb Linder Annex. A photo of the dog pound in Beaconsfield Quebec.
Herb Linder Annex, a community centre and rental space attached to the library and City Hall.
Beaconsfield is also served directly by one major highway, Highway 20 (Autoroute 20) with two exits in Beaconsfield, exit 45 at Avenue Woodland, and exit 48 at Boulevard St-Charles. Access to Beaconsfield is also possible from the Highway 40 (Autoroute 40), exit Boulevard St-Charles - south (Sud).
Education
Education in Beaconsfield, as common in the Montreal area, is operated by school boards divided linguistically. There is separate boards for instruction in English (Anglophone) and French (Francophone).
Spanning the decade between 1995 and 2006 multiple homicides and murder-suicides took place inside homes that were all within 0.5 km (500 yd) of each other.[45][46][47]
April 1995, Frank Toope, a retired Anglican minister, and his wife Jocelyn were bludgeoned to death during a botched robbery by three youths — aged 13, 14 and 15. All three youths have since reoffended as adults.[48][49]
May 2001, Margareth and Ed Fertuck were killed by their son, who died by suicide after the event.[50]
September 2001, John Bauer shot and killed his wife Helen, their three sons, Jonathan, Wesley and Justin, father-in-law Elmer Carroll and business partner Lucio Beccherini, over a three-day span before taking his own life after setting his house on fire.[51] Their home was located on a street bordering Beaconsfield and Kirkland.[52]
October 2006, psychologist Dragolub Tzokovitch shot and killed his wife Mila Voynova, and two daughters, Iva and Alice, before taking his own life.[53][54]
^Montgomery, Sue (May 24, 2001). "Son's schizophrenia fatal for family : Mourner at a funeral service in Beaconsfield pinpoints mental illness as the cause of a family tragedy that took three lives last week". Montreal Gazette. ProQuest433716426.
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