Baden is known for Castle Kilbride, a National Historic Site. The castle, built in 1877, is a restored Victorian mansion that was once home to James Livingston, who named it after his birthplace in Scotland.
The castle dominates the countryside with its Italianate design capped by a towering belvedere. Its prominent exterior is overshadowed by what a visitor might find inside. T he interior is masterfully painted in the trompe l'oeil style, and are rare examples of the 19th-century attempt to reestablish the Renaissance tradition of fresco painting. The ceilings and walls contain splendid paintings by H. Schasstein, and although painted on a flat service give the illusion of depth.
Baden is also the birthplace of Sir Adam beck, the founder of Ontario’s public hydro-electric system. He served as a member of the Ontario legislature where in 1906 he introduced the bill which set up the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario. As chairman of that body 1906-25 he was largely responsible for its successful establishment and growth and was knighted in 1914.
