Islington

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Explore Islington

Now is the time for residents to experience all that tourists have been raving about for years. Discover shops, stops, places and spaces on city main streets. Stay curious, Toronto.

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We hope that you enjoyed exploring this Toronto neighbourhood and found many other points of interest along the way. While StrollTO highlights some of the 'hidden gems' in the neighbourhood, there may be others that could be included in a future edition. Would you like to share a point of interest that you discovered in the neighbourhood? Email us at StrollTO@toronto.ca.

Neighbourhood Stroll

This neighbourhood is named after the Village of Islington, a small farming community that developed here in the nineteenth century. The rich agricultural roots of the area can be explored along Dundas Street West, with plenty of spectacular murals and historic buildings to be found. Much of the rest of the neighbourhood is reflective of Etobicoke's rapid development as a post-war suburban area. Great local businesses can be found in the Village of Islington BIA.

Main Streets: Dundas Street West, Bloor Street West, Islington Avenue, Kipling Avenue, Burnhamthorpe Road and The East Mall

Islington Burial Grounds
4956 Dundas Street West
The Ontario Genealogical Society dates the establishment of the Islington Burying Grounds to 1844 or earlier. The oldest gravestones date back to 1807, but these stones were likely moved to the grounds after the cemetery was established. The cemetery is the final resting place of many key community builders. In the back-left corner are two tall monuments erected to the Montgomery family (whom nearby Montgomery's Inn is named after). The graves show the fragility of life at the time. Child mortality rates were much higher and more than 40 children under the age of five are buried here.

Etobicoke Township Hall
4946 Dundas Street West
This heritage-designated building may not look very old, but beneath the new facade is one of the oldest buildings in Islington: the village's first Methodist church built around 1843. In 1887, the congregation moved and the land was sold to the Etobicoke Township. The building was used for council meetings, social gatherings as well as the village's first public library. After the Second World War, a second storey and a large neo-classical addition was put on the front. After the Town Council moved to the new civic centre in 1958, the building became the district police headquarters. A subsequent owner adapted the building into a restaurant. What remains of the original church are some wooden beams hidden deep inside the current building. However, inscriptions on the structure are still visible today. 'Etobicoke Municipal Offices' can be found over the front door and 'Police' can be found over the east door.

Creative Village Studio
4895 Dundas Street West
Creative Village Studio is a supportive space for artists with varying abilities. There is a gallery where the artists can exhibit and sell their work. In addition, it offers art and photography classes and drop-in studio time.
Arts Etobicoke
4893A Dundas Street West
For over 40 years, Arts Etobicoke has been finding innovative ways to address the need for sustainable cultural opportunities in the community. The organization delivers needs-based programming for all ages and abilities through high-quality programs that are not only interesting and fun, but grow out of a need from the community they serve. Members are provided with networking opportunities, workshops, free resources, meeting and storage space, promotion and communications. Arts Etobicoke promotes artists and advocates for the arts, seeking to build a vital creative footprint that impacts the daily lives of Etobicoke residents. In 2015, Dancing in the Third Act, an Arts Etobicoke and Lakeshore Arts-led Signature Project of the Cultural Hotspot, engaged local seniors in intensive dance training with choreographer Randy Glynn and staged public performances.

Musson House
4884 Dundas Street West
*Note: Private property. Please observe the house from the street only. This is a large two-storey Regency-style, heritage-designated house, a relatively rare remaining historic building. This house was built in 1880 and served as a community hub. Thomas Musson was the postmaster of the Village of Islington for 30 years until his death in 1899. Musson rented the property from Alexander MacPherson who built the house as an income property. The house operated as the post office in a room on the main floor at the rear of the house from 1887 to 1906. In 1912, the house was bought by William and Olive Newlove. Olive operated the Islington Telephone Exchange at the house in the same room where the post office had been. The house has been altered over time and the widening of Dundas Street swalloed the front lawn and the front veranda.

Welcome to Islington Mural
Along Dundas Street West near Riverbank Drive
This mural is painted along a bridge over Mimico Creek, and meant to welcome people to the Village of Islington neighbourhood. It depicts Montgomery's Inn and some of the important neighbourhood historical figures associated with it. It was painted by artist John Kuna in 2011 as part of the Village of Islington's Mural Mosaic, which features 28 murals highlighting the history of the area painted on the sides of buildings along Dundas Street West. Tours of the murals can be arranged through the Village of Islington BIA's website.

Islington United Church
25 Burnhamthorpe Road
The congregation was established in 1818 as a Methodist society, originally meeting in congregants' homes. In 1843, a church was built on the east side of the Islington Burying Grounds on land donated by Amasa Wilcox. The church was originally known as the Wilcox Methodist Chapel. In 1887, a new redbrick church was built for the small farming hamlet, but as the congregation continued to grow over the next half-century, a larger church was needed. Then, in 1949, this beautiful stone building with modern Gothic architecture was opened. The Methodist Church of Canada joined with the Presbyterian Church and Congregational Church, and Islington Methodist Church became Islington United Church in 1925.

Johnston Farmhouse
1078 Kipling Avenue
*Note: Private property. Please observe the house from the street only. This heritage-designated home was once part of the Johnston family farm. The Johnstons were among the earliest European settlers in the area, arriving in the early 1800s. They originally built a log cabin near what is now the intersection of Dundas Street West and Royalavon Crescent. They later purchased 100-acres of farmland west of present-day Kipling Avenue between Bloor Street West and Burnhamthorpe Road. Six generations of Johnstons continued to live on this property until the last family member sold out in 1985. Many members of the family played key roles in the development of Islington Village, including being among the founding families of Islington Methodist Church, and acting as school trustees. This Gothic Revival farmhouse is one of the few remaining buildings from the Johnston farmstead, and was constructed at some point in the late 1800s.

Frank Ridley House
289 Burnhamthorpe Road
*Note: Private property. Please observe the house from the street only. This beautiful heritage-designated home was built by home builder Frank Ridley, who lived here from 1945 until his death in 1985. Ridley built many homes around Toronto, attracting the attention of Robert Home Smith, who developed much of the Kingsway area. Home Smith asked Ridley to build homes in the Kingsway without prior approval of his architects (he was one of two builders granted this exception). Ridley was also an amateur archaeologist, writing scientific reports on 119 sites he explored across Ontario between 1966 and 1975. At one point, it is believed he held the largest private archaeological collection in Ontario. This home was designed in French Provincial style, which is very uncommon in Canada outside of Quebec. Notable architectural features include a steeply-pitched roof, gable-style dormers, and multi-paned windows.

Echo Valley Park
1124 Kipling Avenue
This 9.1-hectare park is a naturalized ravine through which Mimico Creek flows. There are several trails through the park that connect it to neighbourhood streets. The Echo Valley name comes from that of a nut farm owned by George Hebden Corsan that used to be located here. Corsan planted 15 varieties of nut trees on the property in the 1910s, and encouraged those interested to come and tour the farm, helping to earn Corsan the nickname, 'the Nut Man of Islington'. A true Renaissance Man, Corsan also had a regular column in the Toronto Star, oversaw the construction of the 850-acre Kellogg Bird Sanctuary in Battle Creek, Michigan, and was a renowned instructor for swimming and lifesaving techniques. Metropolitan Toronto purchased the land in 1959 and turned it into the park that it is today, and a plaque honouring Corsan was unveiled in 2019.

Hampshire Heights Park
231 Martin Grove Road
Hampshire Heights Park is a 7.8-hectare wooded ravine park near Martin Grove Road south of Rathburn Road. The park follows the Mimico Creek south from Rathburn Road to where it flows into Echo Valley Park. The Mimico Creek Trail runs along the east bank of the creek connecting to Ravenscrest Park at the north end of the park and Echo Valley Park in the south.

East Mall Park
355 The East Mall
This 3.3-hectare park features three outdoor tennis courts, a children's playground and open green space.
Wedgewood Park
15 Swan Avenue
A 1.2 hectare park near Martingrove Road and Burnhamthorpe Road featuring a tennis court and children's playground. Also located in the park is the Wedgewood Park Outdoor Ice Rink and the Wedgewood Outdoor Pool.
Ward Farmhouse
3904 Bloor Street West
*Private property. Please observe from the street only. This heritage-designated farmhouse - substantially set back from the street and surrounded by more modern homes - was constructed for the Ward family around 1875. Members of the Ward family owned a substantial amount of the land surrounding this house for portions of the nineteenth century. Several Ward family members are buried in the Islington Burial Grounds on Dundas Street West. The house is a wonderful example of Georgian architecture, with notable features including red brick masonry and decorative wooden cornices under the eaves, with a foundation that was constructed from local river stone.

Accessibility information: Most of the points of interest on this stroll are viewable from the street. Unpaved areas, steep hills, and uneven surfaces may be encountered in Echo Valley Park and Hampshire Heights Park.

The StrollTO itineraries may follow routes that do not receive winter maintenance. Please review winter safety tips and for more information contact 311.

Soundtracks of the City

From global superstars to local favourites and ones to watch, the Soundtracks of the City playlists all feature artists who have called Toronto home. Whether it’s a lyric about the neighborhood, an artist representing a cultural community, or a tie-in to the StrollTO itinerary itself, all the music reflects connections to an individual ward or the City as a whole.

Music was chosen based on an artist’s Spotify presence and each song’s broad appeal, as well as its associations with the cultures, languages and ethnicities that reflect Toronto’s neighborhoods and diverse music scene. Soundtracks of the City combines 425 songs that feature more than 500 different local artists or acts, showcasing songs in 23 different languages.