19th century London, Ont. landmark now a heritage building

On Saturday the London Heritage Council and the City of London unveiled two plaques commemorating the very long history of one of London's oldest houses.

The first plaque designated the John Clark House — which is found in the east end of the city just off Clarke Road on Avalon Street — as a heritage house.

It's something owner Sam Cox said will protect the house for generations to come.

"It's enshrined in a bylaw now, what you can and cannot do at this property. It's just a way to secure it for long after I'm gone," said Cox.

He said while it's long been known as the Clark House, it is only recently that researchers have been able to trace the entire Clark family back to the property.

The second plaque allows pedestrians to read about the history of the home when walking by on Clarke Road.

The earliest known records indicate it was built sometime in 1857, only two years after London was first recognized as a city, said Kyle Ganyou, a heritage planner for the City of London.

He said the research process took approximately a year, but even though the home has filled the criteria to be a heritage property, Ganyou said he's uncovering new details.

"The earliest census information we found dated it to 1861," said Ganyou. "With additional genealogical information we were able to push the construction of the Clark House back to 1857."

Over the course of the restoration, Cox said they found many interesting pieces of history on the property.

"We discovered some old newspaper articles in the walls from 1942," said Cox.

An architect by trade, Cox also said he discovered that the building and its construction was modelled after the stone and brick houses in Ireland.

The Irish influence makes sense, he added, because the original owner, John Clark, was a pioneer from Ireland.

The event isn't just significant for the future of the house, said Cox.