This post is a continuation of the previous post where I discussed the Sargent family home at 796 Dufferin Avenue. In January of 2023 I was browsing the real estate listings in London and came across an open house notice for the house. That weekend I attended the open house.
Below are some of the photos I took and some from the real estate listing.
The hardwood floors appear to be original, although upstairs they have had vinyl laid over them. There are stained glass windows in the formal rooms and over the front door as well as an entryway light shade and they also appear original. The windows themselves also appear all original. The one item that looks to have been replaced is the front door. See the commentary below.
What was amazing to see is how little has been changed or painted. The wood trim is all in its original state. The upper level baseboards, casing and doors are white which could have ben painted but may have been like the main floor which are dark stained. You can actually smell the aging wood and varnish as you enter the house.
In the kitchen there is an original built-in cabinet with glass doors which also has not been painted or altered in any way. I can imagine that Grandmother Sargent spent many years stocking it with Kitchen and pantry items.
There are two sets of stairs one formal leading up from the foyer and another backstairs that leads into the kitchen. There is a back room which was added at some point which may have come after the Sargents.
There is no dedicated driveway, the occupants must share a joint driveway with the neighbor to the east. The lots are narrow and a horse and buggy would have been the norm at the time the house and neighborhood was built.
The basement is finished and there is an additional bathroom and some rough rooms which likely weren't used for anything other than storage when the Sargents lived here.
The 1921 Canadian Census shows John and Rachel Sargent living here with their 6 children, 4 boys and 2 girls - ages 15 to 27. Lillian marries in 1921, John and Irene both in 1923, and James in 1931.
The recently released 1931 Census shows John and Rachel, James and his wife Lillian as well as the last single brother Ernest living at the house.
As mentioned in the earlier post, John Jr. leaves to fight in WW1 in 1916 and returns safely home in 1919. The family loses a brother in 1930 when Frederick dies at the age of 25 after a contracting pneumonia while John Sr. dies at Victoria Hospital in 1939 the age of 74 and Rachel lives until the age of 91 eventually passing away in St. Mary's Hospital after 9 years of residence there.
796 Dufferin Avenue - London, Ontario
The lot, according to the real estate listing is 26 x 150 feet.
A 2015 Geranium Walking Tour hosted by the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario referred to the houses in the neighborhood as Queen Anne in style with a picture of the front gable in their pamphlet, describing it as lattice and diamond design.
2015 ACO Geranium House Tour
Porch sign, visible on the right is used in Old East Village to denote the original home owners of the neighborhood.
Front Porch - Many Sargent Family Photos were taken here.
The wedding photo below of Lillian, daughter of the house with her groom William Anderson and her older sister Irene in 1921 outside of the house looking east. The house across the street is replicated in the photo below which verifies the location of this one.
The below photo taken sometime after 1931 of James, one of the sons of the house. The photo is looking east from the front porch. James marries his bride Lillian Spencelayh in February of 1931 at St. Matthew's Anglican Church which is just a few streets over at 940 Dundas St. E. and according to the wedding announcement their wedding reception is held at the home of the groom. We also know from the 1931 census that they are living at the family home after their marriage. You can see the wedding ring on James' finger below.
Ernest, second youngest son is shown in the same location, likely the same day as the trees in the background look very much the same.
Pictured below in front of the porch is Irene, the oldest daughter of the house, circa 1923.
Below, a photo of Rachel and her sisters. I think, left to right is Fanny, maybe another sister who was called Eliza, Rachel and Mary Ann. Photo is circa 1945.
Exterior of Front Door - This is not the original door, see below.
Inside Front Door
I believe the door has been replaced, if you compare the above two photos to the below of Rachel Sargent circa 1930 standing in front of the house you can see that the door at the time had a single pane glass insert. In the above photo you can see that the door is slightly lighter in color than the surrounding casing and that it has 5 vertical lights.
The below photo also shows the original porch railings and porch surround where it meets the ground, not surprisingly both have been replaced.
Entryway stained glass light shade and door light.
Second View of Entryway.
Front Formal Room Window.
View from front room into the entryway and dining room.
Pocket doors dividing the living room and dining room
Dining Room.
Upper window is pebbled glass similar to the field of the other stained glass windows in the house.
Second view of dinning room with hallway door. Kitchen is behind the back wall.
Light switch cover in hallway.
First floor hall and window with view into the kitchen. Dining room door is on the right.
Kitchen Built-In
Inside view of built-in.
Second view of kitchen showing outside side door entrance and basement stairs. To the right of the white cabinets which are modern is where the second staircase from upstairs exits into the kitchen. To the left is the front hallway.
First Floor Addition - Back of House (Not original).
Upstairs landing - Looking toward the front of the house.
Upstairs Bedroom - Front
Possible Master Bedroom as it is the only bedroom with stained glass.
This room is the only room showing wood floor which in this case are painted but consist of wider planks than the first floor. Unknown if original but they do look old.
There is also a small closet on the right.
Close-up View of Stained Glass Window.
Upstairs Bedroom - Middle of house. No stained glass in window.
Same bedroom - Closet.
Upstairs Bathroom - Back of House. Similar to the others in the house the lower window has pebbled glass.
Bathroom Medicine Cabinet.
Upstairs Bedroom - Back of House.
Same Bedroom - View of Patio Door.
This door looks like it could have been the original front door as it has the right kind of window.
View of upstairs patio off green bedroom at back of house.
Patio has been built over 1st floor addition at some point in the past.
Back stair leading down to the kitchen. Stairs and upper landing is covered in vinyl flooring.
Another view of the upstairs landing showing the two staircase newel posts for each staircase looking toward the back of the house.
Backyard
Second view of backyard.
Dollhouse views of each floor below.
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