Runnymede Park
park in The Junction neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Runnymede Park is a medium-sized public park located in The Junction neighbourhood of Toronto, Canada, one block east of Runnymede Road. Its southern boundary is the West Toronto Yard used by the Canadian Pacific Railway, its northern boundary is Ryding Avenue, while a laneway and parking lot make up the western and eastern boundaries respectively. It is relatively flat, and features many soaring mature oak trees.
History
Runnymede Park was initially a block of land laid out on a plan created by Hannah M. Clarke in 1883. According to a City Solicitor's report, submitted to City of Toronto Council in 1923, the land was always treated by the Town of Toronto Junction as a public park and, from 1893 to 1909, was assessed by the Town of Toronto Junction as part of park property. It was subsequently recommended in 1923 that the City of Toronto exercise its rights as official title holder. In 1961, Toronto City Council authorized the construction of the George Bell Arena at Runnymede Park and its designation as a community centre under the Community Centres Act. Like many other landmarks in the neighbourhood, the park takes its name from the estate of John Scarlett, an early land owner in the area.
Runnymede Park was one of the few parks to have a railway siding running through it into the 2000s, not separated from the public area in any way. The siding was operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway serving local industries, though towards its end it only moved tank cars to the Bunge edible oils plant on the northwest corner of St.
“Runnymede Park” enters the record as park in The Junction neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Runnymede, Park and park can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Runnymede Park” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Runnymede, Park and park provides the most credible route into that argument.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7380090. Authority coordinates are 43.668, -79.479. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1883, 1923, 1893 and 1909.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
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Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Runnymede Park” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.