Lislehurst Mansion: A storied campus building that hosts art and (mock) crimes
Bringing the past and present together with the Lislehurst Mansion and Forensic Crime Scene House.
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Down the winding Principal’s Road past Deerfield Hall and Maanjiwe nendamowinan, you will find yourself at the Lislehurst Mansion. Designated as a heritage site by the City of Mississauga in 1985, it is currently the residence of the principal of UTM. It also has a rich history and connection to a nearby cottage now known as the Forensic Crime Scene House.
Constructed in 1885, the Lislehurst Mansion was built by the family of Canadian artist Charlotte Schreiber. The house was part of a Crown Grant given to the Schreiber family by Sir Isaac Brock in 1869. With this grant, Lislehurst was built alongside two other houses, Woodham and Iverholm, both of which have since been destroyed. Alongside these three houses, a summer cottage was built and used by Schreiber to complete many of her pieces.
The Schreibers sold the houses to Reginald Watkins in 1930. Following his purchase of the houses, Watkins demolished the Woodham house and used some of its materials in the renovation of Lislehurst.
The houses and cottage were acquired by U of T in 1963, with the cottage known as the “Artist’s College.” It served as a residence for artists who served their term on campus, such as David Blackwood, the namesake of UTM’s Blackwood Gallery, who resided in the cottage from 1969 to 1975.
In 2009, the cottage was turned into the Forensic Crime Scene Investigation House. Since then, it has been used as a site for mock crime scenes and events for UTM students.
In February, 2025, some friends and I attended one of these events, the Valentine’s Who Dunnit. The crime-themed event was arranged by placing clues in different rooms within the house, with staff mainly in the living room to answer questions or provide extra clues to the visitors.
I’ve always loved the rustic beauty of older homes and enjoyed the slight creak under my feet as I walked through the cottage and viewed the many historic photographs up on the walls. The event felt like a real-life version of the board game Clue as participants scrambled to find out who had committed the mock crime.
Despite being Valentine’s Day-themed, the architecture and setup of the mock crime scene inside the house captured an eerie Halloween atmosphere that cannot be replicated.
As the oldest building at UTM, the Forensic Crime Scene House’s original outer and interior design has been maintained up to today. Whether you’re passing through the UTM Nature Trail or attending an event at the Crime Scene House, the rich history of this property will not cease to amaze you.
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