The Neighbourhood of Southcrest

Southcrest is another one of London’s hidden gem areas that gives the city as a whole such a great quality of life.  The area is predominantly made up of three bedroom ranches on good sized lots.  The streets are quiet and tree lined.  There are plenty of parks.  And the neighbourhood is close to the Westmount shopping area and offers easy access to downtown via Springbank road.  With property values that are slightly below the city average, it is an attractive area for people looking for their first family home.

The Coves Environmentally Significant Area

The Coves area is a subwatershed of the greater Thames River Watershed. The most predominant feature of the sub-watershed, The Coves Ponds, were formed by an abandoned oxbow of the Thames River. Sedimentation from adjacent ravines and infilling by adjacent landowners have now created 3 distinct ponds; the East, West, and South Ponds. The ponds area is connected to the remainder of the upstream sub-watershed by a steep sided, ravine system to the south.

The ravines that provide the connection to the upstream headwaters are well vegetated slopes that provide animal migration routes, natural drainage channels, and urban open space. They are too deep and steep to have permitted infilling and channelization related to urban development in the past.  The Cove Ponds and associated ravines provide a micro-climate that modifies high temperatures and provides aeration to the water flowing down through the meandering channel to the Ponds below.

The Coves was once a meander of the Thames River and is now a series of oxbow ponds. Oxbows are places of high species diversity. The City of London designated The Coves and the ravine that drains into them as an Environmentally Significant Area (ESA). This designation was in recognition of the distinctive land forms, the presence of forest area sensitive species, the hydrologic characteristics, the diversity of species and the linkage function the area provides to the Thames River corridor.  The ESA designation recognizes that forest-area sensitive species such as the great crested flycatcher and the white-breasted nuthatch rely upon habitat such as this. The Coves ESA contains two provincially rare forest types: a black walnut forest and a hackberry forest. The Savannah Sparrow and the Brown Thrasher are level-one conservation priorities in Middlesex County and they use this area for breeding.

The Coves ESA is almost entirely privately owned, so the best way that we can ensure its protection and enhancement is by working with private landowners and residents to promote and implement ecologically friendly stewardship practices.

Map of the Coves ESA

The Cove ponds were described by the early explorers to this area in 1796. They are documented in the journals of Major Littlehale, who accompanied John Graves Simcoe. They were visited prior to the discovery of the Forks of the Thames River where the north and south branches meet and the City of London was first settled.

Archaeological investigations have not been completed for the Ponds region, however, as they are considered a high potential due to their proximity to the Thames and the elevation vantage point that is provided by the banks.

It is held that David Suzuki first experienced his love of natural history, while exploring in the Coves ponds.

Source: Friends of the Coves

Parks and Other Places of Interest

In addition to the Coves, Southcrest contains a number of parks including Greenway Park, Evergreen Park, Southcrest Park, Euston Park and a number of unnamed green spaces.

Schools

The area is serviced by Woodland Heights Public School, Kensal Park French Immersion Public School, Ecole Frere Andre Catholic French First Language Elementary. and Westminster Secondary School.

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The Coves
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Contact Steve

334 Wellington Rd. S
London, Ontario N6C 4P6
steve@stevebaarda.com
Cell: 519.878.5566
Office: 519.672.9880
Fax: 519.672.5145