Old North, London Ontario —
Homes for Sale & Neighbourhood Guide
Old North is one of London's most tightly held neighbourhoods — century-old character homes, tree-canopied streets, Gibbons Park on the Thames River, two hospitals within walking distance, and Western University at the north end. When a home comes available here, buyers notice.
What It's Like to Live in Old North
Old North sits between downtown London and Western University — bounded by the Thames River to the west and north, Oxford Street to the south, and Adelaide Street to the east. It's one of London's oldest residential areas, built primarily in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and that history is still visible on every block. Victorian and Edwardian homes with prominent brick, high ceilings, and deep lots line streets shaded by old-growth tree canopies that took a century to grow and can't be replicated in any new subdivision.
The neighbourhood has three distinct sub-districts — St. George-Grosvenor, Bishop Hellmuth, and Broughdale — each with its own character and price range. Bishop Hellmuth in particular is Old North at its most grand: large corner lots, well-restored heritage homes, and streets that consistently draw buyers willing to pay a premium for the address. Broughdale runs along the edge of Western's campus and tends to attract more student and faculty-adjacent buyers. St. George-Grosvenor sits in between — solid, quiet, and consistently in demand.
The Richmond Gates at the north end of Richmond Street mark the formal entrance to Western University's campus. Faculty, researchers, and University Hospital staff who want to walk or cycle to work — and own a century home while doing it — have been coming to Old North for decades. Two hospitals are within realistic walking or cycling distance: St. Joseph's Hospital sits directly in the neighbourhood on Cheapside Street, and University Hospital (LHSC) is immediately adjacent to Western's campus at the north boundary. That combination — character architecture, river access, two hospitals, and a world-class university at the door — is what makes Old North genuinely rare.
Western University Faculty & Researchers
Professors, researchers, and senior staff at Western University and University Hospital are a consistent and significant buyer segment in Old North. The ability to walk or cycle to campus from a century home on a tree-lined street — rather than commuting from the suburbs — is a quality of life argument that lands with academics. Many faculty households have been in Old North for decades and rarely leave.
Character Home Buyers — Serious Ones
Old North attracts buyers who specifically want a century home — not just a nice older home, but Victorian or Edwardian architecture, original hardwood floors, high ceilings, and a lot with depth and tree canopy. These buyers are typically patient, informed, and willing to pay for what they want. They're not cross-shopping Old North against Sunningdale. It's the only neighbourhood in London that consistently delivers what they're looking for.
Physicians & Healthcare Professionals
St. Joseph's Hospital is directly in the neighbourhood. University Hospital is at the north boundary. For physicians, surgeons, and senior healthcare staff at either hospital, Old North offers something no other London neighbourhood can: a prestigious home address within realistic walking distance of their workplace. The short commute combined with the neighbourhood's prestige and resale stability makes it a natural landing spot for this buyer profile.
Old North Real Estate — What to Expect
Old North is London's most consistently tightly held neighbourhood. Inventory is genuinely limited — people who buy here tend to stay, and the supply of quality homes coming to market in any given year is small. That scarcity, combined with a buyer pool that specifically wants what Old North offers, means the neighbourhood holds value well across market cycles.
The price range here is wider than it might appear from the outside. Entry points exist for smaller cottages and homes that need work — buyers who want the neighbourhood but have more flexibility on condition can sometimes get in at the lower end of the range. The top end, particularly on premium streets like Grosvenor, Bishop, and the Bishop Hellmuth sub-district, reflects some of London's highest prices for non-waterfront residential property.
What drives price in Old North isn't always what buyers expect. Street matters enormously — two homes of similar size a block apart can differ by $150,000 or more based on address alone. Lot depth, the presence of original architectural features, the quality of previous renovations, and whether the home has been properly maintained versus cosmetically updated all factor in. Buyers who understand these variables do significantly better than those who rely only on price-per-square-foot comparisons. Eric has sold in Old North specifically and knows which streets and which features move the needle on value.
Old North pricing varies significantly by street, sub-district, and condition. These ranges reflect the current market broadly — for a property-specific assessment, request a home evaluation.
Ranges are approximate and reflect the current market. Updated periodically — not a substitute for a current market evaluation.
Thinking about selling in Old North?
Old North homes require pricing that accounts for street, sub-district, architectural features, and renovation quality — not just size and beds. Getting it right the first time matters in a low-inventory neighbourhood where buyers are informed and patient. Get a free home evaluation to understand exactly where your home sits.
Living in Old North Day to Day
Schools
- Old North Public School — TVDSBPublic elementary
- St. George's Public School — TVDSBPublic elementary
- St. Michael Catholic Elementary — LDCSBCatholic elementary
- London Central Secondary — TVDSBPublic secondary
- H.B. Beal Secondary School — TVDSBArts & tech focus
- Catholic Central High School — LDCSBCatholic secondary
- Western UniversityNorthern boundary
Parks & Green Space
- Gibbons Park — Old North's centrepiece on the Thames River. Outdoor pool, spray pad, play structures, tennis courts, picnic shelters, and river views. Connected directly to the Thames Valley Parkway.
- Doidge Park — central neighbourhood park on Cheapside Street, across from St. Joseph's Hospital. Tennis court, basketball court, play structures, tobogganing hill.
- North London Athletic Fields — field house, three baseball diamonds, and six soccer pitches along the Thames River on the neighbourhood's northern edge.
- Ross Park — quieter green space on the Thames River edge, well-used by residents.
- Thames Valley Parkway — accessible from Gibbons Park, running the full river length through the city.
Daily Life & Local Spots
- The Bungalow — Richmond Street burger institution known city-wide; a neighbourhood anchor for Old North residents
- Merla Mae's — soft serve ice cream since 1957, a London institution on Richmond Street, open seasonally
- The Bag Lady Variety — local convenience and lunch spot popular with neighbourhood regulars
- Richmond & Oxford commercial node — nearest cluster of everyday services, cafés, and restaurants
- Richmond Row — London's primary dining and patio strip, accessible within a short drive or longer walk south on Richmond Street
- St. Joseph's Hospital (LHSC) — directly in the neighbourhood on Cheapside Street
- University Hospital (LHSC) — immediately adjacent to Western's campus at Old North's northern boundary
- King's College & St. Peter's Seminary — architecturally significant institutions woven into the neighbourhood's streetscape near Western
Everyday Amenities
Old North is not a neighbourhood where every amenity is a short walk — that's a fair and honest thing to say. The Richmond and Oxford corner covers most immediate needs, and Richmond Row is a short drive south for dining and shopping. The trade-off residents make is getting the neighbourhood's architecture, parks, and prestige in exchange for driving to larger grocery and retail destinations. Masonville Mall is 10 minutes north on Richmond. Most Old North residents consider this an entirely acceptable exchange.
St. Joseph's Hospital and University Hospital together cover all major healthcare needs and are among the closest hospital access of any London residential neighbourhood.
Getting Around
Old North is genuinely walkable within the neighbourhood — Gibbons Park, Doidge Park, the schools, St. Joseph's Hospital, and the local shops are all reachable on foot from most addresses. The Thames Valley Parkway provides a cycling route along the river connecting the neighbourhood to downtown to the south and Springbank Park to the west.
LTC transit runs along Richmond Street and Oxford Street, providing reasonable service downtown and toward Western. For larger shopping or city errands, a car is the practical choice — Masonville is a 10-minute drive, downtown is 10 minutes south. Richmond Street is the main artery in both directions.
Community Character
Old North has a community association that has been active for decades. The neighbourhood runs seasonal events and takes its architecture seriously — renovation projects that affect exterior character of heritage homes tend to draw community attention. That's a feature, not a bug, for buyers who want the neighbourhood to stay the neighbourhood.
The mix of long-term owner families, Western faculty households, and physicians gives Old North an unusually stable residential character for a central London neighbourhood. Student presence exists near the Broughdale sub-district on the Western boundary, but the broader neighbourhood skews toward established households and long-term residents.
The Honest Picture for Buyers and Sellers
Old North is London's most consistently undersupplied neighbourhood. The people who buy here tend to stay for decades, which means the inventory of quality homes coming to market in any given year is small. Buyers who want Old North often have to wait for the right property — and when it comes up, they move quickly or lose it.
The most important thing buyers need to understand going in is that Old North's price variability is real and significant. Two detached homes of similar square footage in Old North can differ by $200,000 or more depending on street, sub-district, lot size, the quality of past renovations, and whether original architectural features have been preserved or covered up. Buyers who rely only on bedroom count and square footage comparisons consistently either overpay or miss value that's sitting in plain sight. If you're weighing Old North against other London neighbourhoods, our London Ontario neighbourhood guide lays out how different areas compare on lifestyle, schools, and price.
For sellers, the same nuance applies. An Old North home priced without accounting for sub-district positioning, street premium, and architectural quality — relative to what else is available — either leaves money on the table or sits too long. The neighbourhood has a sophisticated buyer pool. They've done their research, they know the sub-districts, and they will notice everything.
One practical consideration: older homes in Old North often have older mechanical systems — electrical, plumbing, HVAC. A thorough home inspection isn't optional here. Buyers who skip it or treat it as a formality are taking on risk they don't need to take.
What Eric sees in Old North
Old North is one of those neighbourhoods where buyers talk themselves out of it before they've fully thought it through. The price is higher than most of London — that's real. But what you're getting is a century home with original character on a street that can't be replicated, walking distance to two hospitals and a world-class university, and Gibbons Park on the Thames River as your neighbourhood park. When you compare it to what $900K buys you in Sunningdale or Masonville, the case for Old North is stronger than the sticker price makes it seem to people who haven't lived here.
The sub-district matters more in Old North than anywhere else in London. Bishop Hellmuth is a different product than Broughdale, and buyers who treat them interchangeably tend to be disappointed. I'd rather spend 20 minutes walking those streets with you before you start looking at listings than have you fall in love with a home that's priced to reflect the street rather than the house.
Old North — Common Buyer & Seller Questions
Buying or Selling in Old North?
Old North has a low-inventory, sophisticated buyer pool where street and sub-district matter as much as square footage. Getting the positioning right — whether you're buying or selling — makes a real difference. A conversation with Eric before you start is worth the 20 minutes.