The old town of Brockton occupied the area from Bloor Street on the north, Dufferin Street on the east, High Park on the west and Queen Street with part of the Village of Parkdale sitting to the south of the rail tracks.
In 1812 in York Township, 100 acres of land was granted to James Brock. This piece of land was a strip that stretched from Lot Street, which today is known as Queen Street, north to Bloor Street and west of Dufferin Street.
Lucy Brock inherited the land after her husband died and began to sell the land that he owned. She commissioned a roadway along the centre-line of the lot parcel and was built in 1850, today known as Brock Avenue. When the surrounding lots were divided for small land holders and developed, the area took on the name Brockton.
The area of Brockton then grew to border High Park on the west, Dufferin to the east (then the border of Toronto) Bloor on the north and the rail lines to the south-west, when it became incorporated as a village in 1876. In 1881 it was incorporated as a town which was then annexed by the City of Toronto in 1884.
The area of Brockton Village was initially settled by Irish immigrants who were here because of the potato famine of the 1840’s and came for work in the local factories.
Brockton Village later attracted a large Portuguese and Brazilian population, which can be noticed with the many colourful homes and beautiful gardens throughout the neighbourhood. As an affordable west-end Toronto hood, this area has recently attracted young professionals looking for a friendly and family oriented neighbourhood to call home.
