Swansea Historical Society - Preserving & Promoting Our Unique History

Welcome to the Swansea Historical Society

The Swansea Historical Society preserves and promotes the history of the former Village of Swansea that was amalgamated by the City of Toronto in 1967.

The Swansea Historical Society was started in 1985 by a group of people who were interested in preserving and promoting the unique history of the Swansea area. The Society is a registered charity, and all of its work is done by a group of dedicated volunteers.

Upcoming Events

1878 Map of West Toronto and High Park. At Keele St. & Dundas west is the Keele Family estate, featuring the Carleton Horse-Race track (Source: West Toronto Junction Historical Society, 2016).

Join us on Wednesday, April the 3rd, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. Our speaker for April will be John Beram and his topic will be “The early history of horse-racing and the Queen’s Plate in West Toronto”.

Did you know that there was once a race track located between High Park Avenue and Keele Street? The first Queen’s Plate horse races (now called the King’s Plate once again) were held there, starting in 1860. John has previously spoken to the Swansea Historical Society on subjects related to the history of West Toronto and the Junction area. We are pleased to welcome him back as our April speaker.

News

Now available for purchase at Swansea Town Hall! The inspiring book “Love is Blind” by Ruth Vallis, our featured speaker for the Dec SHS meeting is now available at @SwanseaTownHall
until mid-Jan 2023. $20.00 each or $15.00 for 2 or more copies. .. … Read more.

Volunteer!

Elizabeth and Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe (Bob and Susan Roden) at Canada 150 celebrations, July 1, 2017.

The Swansea Historical Society is a registered charity – and all of its work is done by a small group of dedicated volunteers. We can always benefit from more help and fresh ideas!

Previous experience is not a requirement, and you don’t have be an expert in local history in order to participate. We have some vacancies that need to be filled listed here. In addition to filling jobs with ongoing responsibilities, we are also happy to welcome people on-board as “Executive Members Without Portfolio”, who may be asked to participate in specific initiatives from time to time.

Please give some thought as to how you could contribute even a small amount of your time and talent, and let us know of any ideas you might have. Or, perhaps you know of someone you would like to recommend (with that person’s permission) for a position on the Executive. Read more about Volunteering at the Swansea Historical Society.

Donate to the Swansea Historical Society

We are grateful for any financial support our members can provide. The Swansea Historical Society is a registered charity, qualified to issue tax receipts for donations. You can now donate to us in order to help fund events such as Walk The Six West and other great historical events.

We are pleased to announce that the Swansea Historical Society can now accept payments electronically. This e-transfer approach can be used to make donations to the Society, pay membership fees, purchase publications, etc. We invite you to give it a try.

View our donate page to find out more.

About Swansea

Located in the west end of Toronto, Ontario in Canada, the community of Swansea is bounded by High Park on the east, the Humber River on the west, the railway tracks on the south, and a line 110′ south of Bloor St. W. on the north. The Village of Swansea existed as a separate municipality from 1926 until 1967, and in many respects it still retains a village atmosphere. Read more about the history of Swansea. and Where Exactly is Swansea, Toronto?

Herne Hill, now Woodland Heights, circa 1999 - view from south of the Queensway, looking north with Ellis Ave on the left and Grenadier pond / High Park on the right. — The black and white photo header on this site features a view of Herne Hill, now Woodland Heights, circa 1900 (Toronto Library). This colour photo from 1999 is approximately the same view from south of the Queensway, looking north with Ellis Ave on the left and Grenadier pond / High Park on the right. View them side-by-side.

Historical Advocacy

In its advocacy role, the Society seeks to raise awareness of potential developments that threaten the historic fabric of the community. Read more about the Society.

22 Deforest Road, also known as the William Smith House about 1900 and 2016. Standing in the “before” picture are the two daughters of Wm. Smith, Ethel and Ada. This house was built in the Victorian style for William Smith circa 1895, and was designed by local architect John Gemmell. The large lot ran from Kennedy to Runnymede, and included a grassed tennis court, cherry and currant orchards, extensive vegetable and flower gardens, bee hives and oak trees. Smith’s descendants still live in the house. Source: Toronto Library (before) and Swansea Historical Society (after). Move the slider left or right to see the difference over a century makes!
View more Swansea “Then and Now” photos

Historical Publications

The Society has produced several publications on local history, including a monthly Newsletter, postings on Twitter and Instagram social media, and an annual Community Calendar featuring historical photographs.

Historical Events

The Society’s events are always open to the public and anyone interested in the history of the area, as well as current developments, is encouraged to join us in our activities. Monthly meetings at Swansea Town Hall include informative and entertaining talks by invited guest speakers on a variety of subjects. Guided walking tours introduce participants to lesser-known aspects of Swansea and area. We also list upcoming community events.

Swansea Historical Archives

The Swansea Historical Society Archive collection in Swansea Town Hall is used by researchers and students as a source of information, and it is also used by people who want to learn about their family connections in Swansea or trace the history of their properties. And if you have old photographs and memorabilia of the Swansea area including Bloor West Village, High Park, and the Humber River, please let us know!

Get Involved!

There are many ways to get involved! View our events page to see what’s new, volunteer , visit, follow us on Twitter and Instagram – we’d love to hear from you.