Ballinahinch

Ballinahinch dates back to 1848 when merchant Æneas Kennedy commissioned a home from architect William Thomas.

Thomas provided plans for a stone villa to be located on a recessed site at the head of James Street South.

He recommended Hamilton builder Peter Balfour to construct the residence, which was initially called Wilderness House, and was built between 1849-1850.

In the twentieth century, Ballinahinch became one of numerous southwest Hamilton homes purchased by developer Sam Henson, who renamed it Henson Park and divided it into several flats, as post world war II taxes rose and the house became too expensive for a single family.

Nina Chapple, former City of Hamilton Senior Cultural Planner, said “Ballinahinch is one of the last remaining buildings of a compound of stone 1850s estates that ran across along the lower shoulder of the escarpment.