London, Ontario calls itself the Forest City — and hidden in its ravines, conservation areas and Thames River corridor are some of southwestern Ontario's most historically charged abandoned places. A WWII veterans rehabilitation centre whose ivy-covered Wellington Administrative Building still stands in the Westminster Ponds. A 144-year-old psychiatric hospital campus whose clustered buildings hint at one of Ontario's longest institutional histories. Here are 5 of the best abandoned places in London Ontario, selected from our Abandoned Places Map Canada — 2,500+ GPS locations across Canada.
Why London Ontario Is a Hidden Gem for Urban Exploration
London's urbex landscape is shaped by its role as southwestern Ontario's institutional centre — a city that hosted a major psychiatric hospital, a WWII veterans rehabilitation complex and a string of 19th-century industrial operations along the Thames River. The Westminster Ponds Conservation Area preserves some of the most atmospherically complete institutional ruins in the region.
1. Westminster Veterans Rehabilitation Centre – London, Ontario — 1940s WWII Rehabilitation Complex, Wellington Admin Building Covered in Ivy, Accessible via Westminster Ponds Trail (Known Location)
Built during WWII to rehabilitate returning veterans, the Westminster Veterans Rehabilitation Centre operated eleven buildings named after Southwestern Ontario counties — each housing returning servicemen in programs that included an automobile shop, darkroom, bowling alley, swimming pool and golf course, based on the belief that active engagement accelerated recovery. The centre closed progressively through the 1950s-1960s; most buildings were demolished, but the Wellington Administrative Building — a grand ivy-covered structure — and several foundations still stand in the Westminster Ponds Conservation Area beside Walker's Pond. Accessible via the Westminster Ponds trail system, freely and legally. One of the most historically poignant and most atmospherically beautiful abandoned places in London Ontario.
🔗 Learn more: Atlas Obscura – Westminster Veterans Village
2. London Psychiatric Hospital – London, Ontario — 144-Year History of Psychiatric Care, Original Victorian Campus Buildings Still Standing, Western Road (Known Location)
The London Psychiatric Hospital — established in the 1870s — has one of the longest continuous histories of psychiatric care of any institution in Ontario. The clustered Victorian campus buildings on Western Road reflect 144 years of institutional evolution; original brick ward buildings, the administration complex and the sprawling grounds hint at the scale of an institution that held thousands of patients through the mid-20th century. Progressive deinstitutionalization reduced the active patient population while leaving the original Victorian architecture largely intact. One of the most historically significant abandoned institutional sites in London Ontario. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map Canada.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Best Abandoned Places in Canada →
3. Abandoned Middlesex County Grain Mill – 1860s-1880s Thames River Stone Mill, Original Mill Race and Wheel Pit Still Visible, Elgin County (Exclusively on Our Map)
A 1860s-1880s stone grist mill on a Thames River tributary in Middlesex or Elgin County — the original cut-limestone construction largely intact, the mill race still traceable along the river bank and the wheel pit opening marking where the waterwheel powered the millstones. Southwestern Ontario's agricultural economy supported dozens of these river mills through the mid-19th century; when steam and electric milling made water-powered operations uneconomic, the mills were simply abandoned. One of the most atmospherically complete abandoned mill sites in the London Ontario region. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map Canada.
4. Abandoned Southwestern Ontario Tobacco Farm – 1920s-1950s Curing Barns and Farmhouse, Norfolk County, Golden Leaf Era Architecture Still Standing (Exclusively on Our Map)
Southwestern Ontario's Norfolk County was the heart of Canada's flue-cured tobacco industry through the mid-20th century — a landscape of distinctive curing barns with their ventilated siding designed to dry tobacco leaves at controlled temperatures. A 1920s-1950s tobacco farm complex in the region retains the original curing barn row, the farmhouse and the agricultural infrastructure of the golden leaf era. Federal buyout programs ended commercial tobacco production in the region; dozens of curing barn complexes now stand abandoned across Norfolk County's flat sandy landscape. One of the most distinctively southwestern Ontario abandoned places accessible from London. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map Canada.
5. Abandoned Huron County Farmstead – 1870s-1890s Ontario Brick Farmhouse and Bank Barn, Rural Huron County, 1 Hour from London (Exclusively on Our Map)
A 1870s-1890s brick farmstead in Huron County — the original pressed brick farmhouse with its Ontario Victorian architectural details, the large bank barn with timber frame construction and the stone foundation root cellar still intact in the farmyard. Huron County's agricultural consolidation through the 20th century emptied dozens of these Victorian brick farmsteads; the pressed brick construction preserves them longer than frame buildings. One of the best abandoned places near London Ontario for classic Ontario Victorian agricultural heritage photography. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map Canada.
Safety Tips
- Conservation area rules: Westminster Ponds is a UTRCA conservation area — always stay on designated trails and never enter structurally compromised buildings
- Asbestos: universal in pre-1980 Ontario institutional buildings — always wear an FFP2 mask in any enclosed space
- Never explore alone — always bring at least one other person
The urbex code applies everywhere: "Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints."
❓ FAQ
What is the most famous abandoned place in London Ontario?
The Westminster Veterans Rehabilitation Centre ruins in Westminster Ponds Conservation Area — a WWII veterans rehabilitation complex whose ivy-covered Wellington Administrative Building and foundation ruins are freely accessible via the conservation trail beside Walker's Pond.
What was the Westminster Veterans Rehabilitation Centre?
A WWII-era complex built to rehabilitate returning veterans through active programming — automobile shop, darkroom, bowling alley, swimming pool and a 1956 golf course. Eleven buildings named after Southwestern Ontario counties operated on the site; most were demolished, but the Wellington Administrative Building and several foundations remain.
Why does Southwestern Ontario have so many abandoned tobacco farms?
Norfolk County and the surrounding region were the heart of Canada's flue-cured tobacco industry for most of the 20th century. Federal buyout programs introduced in the 2000s ended commercial tobacco production; the distinctive curing barn complexes now stand abandoned across the sandy Norfolk landscape, their ventilated-siding construction unlike any other agricultural building type in Canada.
🎯 Summary
London Ontario's abandoned places range from a WWII veterans rehabilitation centre whose ivy-covered admin building stands in a conservation area ravine, to a 144-year psychiatric hospital campus and the distinctive tobacco curing barns of Norfolk County. Each of these 5 abandoned places in London Ontario captures a different layer of southwestern Ontario's institutional and agricultural heritage.
Abandoned Places Map Canada
- ✓ 2,500+ GPS locations across Canada
- ✓ Exclusive locations not found anywhere else
- ✓ Instant access after purchase
- ✓ Free updates forever
19,99€
Explore All Locations →
