12. The Gigantic Hand Saw, Guardian Pharmacy

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The Gigantic Hand Saw, Guardian Pharmacy – 103 River St

At one time the present Sunderland Pharmacy was a hardware store. In 1905 this building was owned by Dean Rundle. In 1924 Dean’s son Alastair T. Rundle and his wife Vera carried a complete line of hardware that included tools, carpentry goods and standard household articles in this store. They also sold farm implements and had a storage building to the east of the property.

The present building there is rough cuts at 99 River Street. A unique sign outside and above the main door of the old store was in the form of a giant hand saw. Printed on the saw was T.A. Rundle Hardware. This unusual artifact is currently in the Sunderland Museum.

Alistair Rundle, his wife Vera and children Irene, Alex and Jean lived in a house adjacent to the store. When Alistair decided to close up shop, he sold his implements and supplies to Ross Doble.

In 1948, the building was sold to Roy Bagg, who had a hardware store here in 1959. When Mike Sheridan bought the building in 1973, it had not been used for several years. Mike ran the pharmacy there from 1971 until 1989. One of the major clients for this store was the administrators of the Sunnydale Home for Children at the Brock Hotel. This was a major boost for the pharmacy and a major convenience for this provincial facility when it came to buying medical supplies.

In 1989, a group of pharmacists in Uxbridge purchased the Sunderland pharmacy.