Wortley Village and Old South, London Ontario Real Estate

Old South is a historic neighbourhood just south of downtown London, and Wortley Village is the stretch of shops and restaurants on Wortley Road that the City of London calls its commercial and cultural heart. Anyone researching Wortley Village, London Ontario real estate is really researching both: the village is where you walk to, and Old South is where you live.

A neighbourhood with a long history

The City’s neighbourhood guide says Old South was first developed in the middle of the 19th century and annexed by London in 1890. Most homes, it says, date to around the turn of the 20th century and range from small cottages to larger single-family houses. The Old South Community Organization has represented residents since 1975, and the City also lists an Old South Business Association.

The Wortley Village-Old South Heritage Conservation District

This is one of the largest heritage districts in London. The City’s heritage planning pages say Council adopted the district plan in September 2014 and the designation took effect on June 1, 2015. It covers 1,048 properties.

The City describes the boundary roughly as:

• Beaconsfield Avenue on the north
• Thames Park and Ridout Street South on the east
• Duchess and Tecumseh avenues on the south
• East of Wharncliffe Road South on the west, not including the properties that front Wharncliffe

It takes in both sides of Wortley Road south almost to Briscoe Street East. The City notes that most buildings went up before the Second World War and calls the London Normal School a landmark.

For buyers, the practical point is simple. Inside a designated district, exterior changes are reviewed against the district plan. Before you price out siding, windows, a front porch or a garage, ask the City’s heritage planners what approval is needed. Not every Old South address is inside the boundary, so confirm it for the specific house.

Parks, library and recreation

• Thames Park, 15 Ridout Street South. The City lists four tennis courts, a play structure, a picnic shelter, washrooms and a community garden, and its guide notes connections to the Thames Valley Parkway.
• The Green, behind the Normal School. The City says the building itself is operated by the YMCA of Western Ontario.
• Smaller parks. The City names Belvedere, Duchess Avenue, Dunkirk Place, Rosel and Gartshore.
• Landon Library, the London Public Library branch at 167 Wortley Road, right in the village.
• Farquharson Arena, one of the City’s 11 indoor arenas, which its guide says has two ice pads.

Schools

The City’s guide names Victoria, Wortley Road, Mountsfield and Tecumseh public schools, St. Martin and Holy Rosary Catholic schools, and London South Collegiate Institute as the local high school. Each appears on the Thames Valley District School Board or London District Catholic School Board school list. Attendance depends on your address, so use the boards’ locators. We do not rank schools.

Price context

LSTAR publishes benchmarks for London North, South and East, not for Old South on its own. We could not confirm from LSTAR which area this neighbourhood is counted in, so we are leaving the number out. Older homes also vary a great deal by condition, which makes street-level comparables far more useful than an area figure. Our London real estate page has the city-wide numbers.

Similar neighbourhoods

Old North is the closest match on the other side of downtown, with its own smaller heritage district. If you like a village main street but want newer houses, compare Byron and Lambeth.

What to ask your REALTOR® about Wortley Village and Old South

• Is this address inside the Wortley Village-Old South Heritage Conservation District boundary?
• Which past renovations had building permits, and were any exterior changes approved under the district plan?
• What do we know about the foundation, wiring, plumbing and insulation? See our home inspection guide.
• Is there a driveway or garage, or is parking on the street?
• How will my insurer treat a home of this age?
• What did similar cottages or two-storeys within a few blocks sell for this year?

Thinking of buying or selling in Old South?

Our buyer guide explains each step of a purchase. If you own a home here, ask for a free home valuation. Character homes are hard to price from averages, so we look at your house, not just the postal code.