Bloor West Village began with the development of an area bounded on the west by the Humber River, on the north by Bloor Street, on the east by High Park and on the south by Lake Ontario. This area is still known as Swansea and it has been the primary catalyst for the development of Bloor West Village, a strong business improvement area and a thriving Toronto real estate market.

In 1670, Jean Baptiste Rousseau, the first permanent settler of Swansea, established a trading post in the Swansea area. This post is thought to be the site of the original French Fort. Following the success of the British at the Plains of Abraham, slowly but surely English traditions came to bear upon Swansea.



More? See Swansea.

Early Days

According to a popular legend, during the War of 1812 a brave and determined but 'foolhardy' band of British soldiers lost their lives trying to cross Swansea's largest body of water during a winter storm. Others say that no soldiers drowned there, but rather it was the red coated soldiers that hunted and fished by the pond that gave it its name. Whatever the origin, the body of water has become known as Toronto's Grenadier Pond.


Bloor West Village Real Estate