Summers in St. Andrews

Late in the 19th century, St. Andrews was discovered by a privileged few who sought a summer place by the sea. Escaping the continent's largest cities, they bought, rented, or built houses, returning year after year. The luxurious Algonquin Hotel was opened, and in a few short years a summer society was established, with Fathers of Confederation Sir Leonard Tilley and Sir Charles Tupper and the great railway builders Sir William Van Horne and Lord Shaughnessy. The "barefoot" steel tycoon Sir James Dunn and his friend Lord Beaverbrook spent their summers in St. Andrews, as did an eclectic blend of new and returning visitors, including politicians from Canada's war production minister C.D. Howe to former Prime Minister John N. Turner, and artists such as ballroom dancer Irene Castle and composer Irving Berlin. In Summers in St. Andrews, Willa Walker chronicles the lives and homes of the summer people. Drawing upon archival records and her own memories of summers past, she blends nostalgia with sharp observation to record the eccentricities and achievements of this distinctive society. First published in 1989 as No Hay Fever and a Railway, this new edition invites readers to share the excitement of summer in this remarkable seaside town.