Osgoode Hall
Osgoode Hall is a heritage building dating back to 1829 that is currently home to the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Superior Court of Justice, and the Law Society of Ontario. The property covers six acres right in the core of the city. The limestone exterior is all symmetry and clean lines. The cast iron fence around the grounds was added in the 1860s and the ironwork is incredibly detailed. The narrow entrance gates along Queen Street, sometimes called the "cow gates," are only about 50 cm wide. The old story is that they were built to keep cattle off the lawn, although that's probably a myth. They make a great framing device for the building behind them. Inside the fence, cobblestone paths lead through the grounds past mature trees and garden beds, with flowering crabapples that look fantastic in spring. Free guided tours of the interior run during the summer and the Great Library is one of the highlights of those tours. The room is roughly 12 metres high with an ornate plaster ceiling, etched glass windows, cork floors, and a cast iron spiral staircase. It is one of the most photogenic interiors in Toronto. The grounds are open year round during daylight and do not require a photography permit, which makes this one of the easiest heritage spots in the city to shoot without any planning ahead. (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
