Denbigh, now part of Addington Highlands just outside Renfrew County, occupies an important intersection between the Addington and Peterson colonization roads. These 1850s-era roadworks marked a critical push to open the rocky highlands for settlement. Denbigh developed as a waypoint for travelers and supply shipments and quickly gained a church, post office, and modest lumber industry.

While never prosperous, Denbigh became a small service hub for surrounding farms and woodlots. Its terrain presented difficulties for the original Crown surveys: concession lines often detoured around hills and lakes, leaving gaps and jogs in the lot fabric.

From a land surveyor’s view, Denbigh highlights how terrain could disrupt Ontario’s idealized grid. Original road allowances were frequently altered in practice, and plans of survey must be read in conjunction with deviation orders and field notes. Surveys often involve locating original blazed lines or interpreting dashed allowances on faded plans. Drainage and elevation continue to influence boundary occupation.