6 Millridge Estate Private, Elora, Ont.
Asking Price: $3.2-million
Taxes: $10,687 (2025)
Lot Size: 98.5 by 131.9 feet
Agent: Wendy Armstrong, Keller Williams Home Group Realty
The Backstory
In the early 1960s, Hugh Drew-Brook was driving the back-roads near Elora, Ont., when he spotted the crumbling walls of a stone building perched above a picturesque river gorge.
The Toronto-based engineer was searching for a singular property which he could turn into an interesting restoration project and weekend retreat.
Mr. Drew-Brook, who died in 2025, learned the stones were the vestiges of a circa-1856 grist mill, according to his son, David Drew-Brook, who says his father’s offer to buy the land from the local farmer who owned it was dismissed with a terse, “it’s not for sale.”
The elder Mr. Drew-Brook was a successful businessman who had the means to buy a stately existing house or build his own, but he became obsessed with the tumbledown stone walls.
“He just couldn’t get that mill out of his head,” recalls his son.
The businessman occasionally dropped in on the farmer and learned he was concerned Mr. Drew-Brook would use the land for junking cars or some other unsavoury purpose.
He offered to have a lawyer draw up a legal agreement stating he would restore the building and turn it into a private dwelling. The farmer could also add his own conditions to the contract.
His father’s lengthy efforts won over the landowner, says Mr. Drew-Brook.
Despite the incredulity of many locals, his father set out to rebuild the old structure. Even the farmer grew increasingly intrigued.
“The old guy started coming around. He’d sit in a lawn chair and watch him,” says the son. “They became friends.”
Hugh Drew-Brook was a successful businessman who had the means to buy a stately existing house or build his own, but he became obsessed with the tumbledown stone walls of the property.visualadvantage.ca
The Mill Today
After purchasing the property in 1965, Mr. Drew-Brook spent his weekends and holidays on the painstaking task of reassembling the walls.
He put his son to work “lifting things, moving things, pulling out nails, straightening nails, sanding wood – anything a six-year-old could do,” the younger Mr. Drew-Brook recalls with a laugh.
A few hours of labour earned him his liberty to try fishing in the rushing waters of Irvine Creek, which flows into the larger Grand River.
“It’s a beautiful river. It’s all carved out of limestone,” he says, adding that the workers carried stone up the cliff by hand.
“They chiselled the stone right out of the river to make the building,” says the retired firefighter. “I just can’t imagine how tough everyone was back then.”
The creek’s waterfall powered the workings of the mill.
His father acquired some antique barns from farms near Milton, Ont. and used the wood to create a post-and-beam interior with an open plan.
Over the years, the rustic cottage his father envisioned expanded into a comfortable home.
Today, the two-storey house has five bedrooms and two bathrooms in more than 5,000 square feet of living space on one acre of land.
The principal rooms include a living room with a wood stove, a dining area and a kitchen with a beamed ceiling and wood countertops crafted from 100-year-old planks.
Mr. Drew-Brook tracked down some vintage industrial window frames made of iron.
“They’re hard to find,” says his son.
There’s a family room with walls clad in wood, sliding doors opening to the deck and access to a hot tub.
The second storey has three bedrooms and a bathroom with a stand-alone tub.
The elder Mr. Drew-Brook used the foundation of one century-old barn to build a stone wall and a stand-alone garage.
The younger Mr. Drew-Brook says his father, who lived in the home until he was 94, spent decades working on the property.
“He was dedicated to that place.”
He recalls many family holidays and celebrations at the house.
In the early 1990s, the elder Mr. Drew-Brook purchased the historic theatre built in 1928 in the nearby town of Fergus and restored it as well. The renovated building became a venue for summer stock theatre.
Over the years, the village of Salem, where the mill was located, has merged into the larger community of Elora.
The more well-known Elora Mill has operated for many years as a boutique hotel. Many visitors spend time at the town’s restaurants, cafés and arts venues.
David Drew-Brook says the deck is a serene place to rejuvenate.Foto Werks
The Best Feature
Outside, a concrete deck overlooks the river and waterfall.
Mr. Drew-Brook says the deck is a serene place to rejuvenate.
He often sees herons wading below and occasionally hears owls hooting from the surrounding trees.