Sir William Mulock bust to be placed at Newmarket house for everyone to see

Town purchased the Mulock estate in 2018

Yorkregion.com
Sept. 22, 2020

A bust of Sir William Mulock that had been sitting in a Toronto government building has been relocated to Newmarket, to one day be placed in the Mulock house.

In early September, Newmarket Mayor John Taylor made a Facebook post stating that he had an “incredible story to share.”

Taylor stated that he had been contacted by a member of the Ontario regional headquarters of Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) about a bust they had of Sir William Mulock.

The PSPC had said that after the closure of the Government of Canada building at 36 Adelaide St. E. in Toronto, the bust of Sir William had come to their location.

The PSPC regional headquarters were undergoing a major renovation and members were looking for a suitable home for the bust, a member of the PSPC said in an email to Yorkregion.com.

The bust was delivered to the town offices in Newmarket, and Taylor said he was amazed by the size of it.

“What I didn’t know was that it was a significant bronze bust mounted on granite and weighed several hundred pounds … it took three or four people to carry one of the bigger pieces out,” Taylor said.

“The head and shoulder are life-sized, I think he was a fairly big guy,” he added.

“This beautiful and significant piece of history is now housed in my office, but will eventually find its way to the Mulock house,” Taylor said.

Due to COVID-19, Taylor said it is unknown when the bust will be placed at the Mulock house. The house is located on the Mulock Farm Estate, which the town bought in 2018 to establish a park and historic site.

However, the goal is to place it somewhere where everyone can see it.

Sir William Mulock was born on Jan. 19, 1843, and passed away on Oct. 1, 1944. He was born in Bond Head, and after the death of his father when he was four years old, his mother moved their family to Newmarket.

Mulch was a lawyer, businessperson, educator, farmer, politician, judge and philanthropist.

“Our historical society in Newmarket is excited about doing some research to determine the age of the bust,” Taylor said.