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Bayshore–Britannia

West

Britannia Beach on the Ottawa River.
Photo: Ross Dunn, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Fast Facts

  • Population: 15,856 (City of Ottawa Neighbourhood Study (sum of the two combined boundaries))
  • Size: 3.69 km² (Computed from the combined City of Ottawa Neighbourhood Study boundary polygons)
  • Distance from Parliament Hill: About 10.2 km west (straight-line distance)

Overview

Bayshore–Britannia combines two very different west-end communities: Britannia, a 19th-century summer resort village on the Ottawa River developed from land owned by Captain John LeBreton, with a beach, 62-acre park and heritage cottages; and Bayshore, a postwar residential area built around the Bayshore Shopping Centre, which opened in 1973 and has since grown into one of Ottawa's major west-end malls.

Boundaries

The City of Ottawa Neighbourhood Study covers this area with two separate boundaries — Bayshore-Belltown and Britannia — merged here, running along the Ottawa River in the north to Carling Avenue in the south, and from Pinecrest Creek west to the Britannia peninsula on Lac Deschênes.

Map

History

In the early 1820s, Captain John LeBreton developed property in what became Britannia, building a grist mill, saw mill, and a house he named "Britannia." He began selling off parts of the estate as village lots starting in 1828.

In 1899, the Ottawa Electric Railway Company built a streetcar line to Britannia, and the area became a popular cottage and beach community, remaining primarily a summer destination until the 1950s, when returning veterans began settling there year-round.

Bayshore developed later as a postwar residential area, taking its name from Bayshore Drive along the Ottawa River. Bayshore Shopping Centre opened on August 8, 1973, during a period of rapid suburban expansion, and was expanded to two floors in 1987 before a $270-million renovation added a parking garage and new retailers.

Britannia's village character, waterfront beach and heritage cottages have been preserved even as the surrounding area urbanized, and the neighbourhood retains its 62-acre Britannia Park and Mud Lake trails alongside Ottawa's broader O-Train Confederation Line west extension serving the area.

Claim to Fame

This area's defining feature is the contrast between Britannia's 19th-century summer-resort character — a beach, heritage cottages and Britannia Park on the Ottawa River — and Bayshore's major shopping centre, one of the busiest retail hubs in Ottawa's west end since 1973.

Surrounding Neighbourhoods

Bells Corners lies south, Carlingwood lies east, and the Ottawa River and Lac Deschênes form the northern and western edges, across from Gatineau, Quebec.

Architecture

Britannia retains a distinctive collection of early-20th-century heritage cottages from its cottage-resort era, while Bayshore's residential streets carry postwar suburban housing built up around the 1973 Bayshore Shopping Centre, itself substantially renovated and expanded since.

Restaurants

  • Little India Cafe — Indian

    One of Ottawa's oldest Indian restaurants, at 66 Wylie Avenue, serving North Indian cuisine for over two decades with a weekday lunch buffet.

Pedestrian and Cycling

Britannia Park, Mud Lake, and Britannia Beach offer extensive walking trails along the Ottawa River, and the Trans Canada Trail runs along the neighbourhood's southern edge; Bayshore's streets are more car-oriented around the shopping centre.

Schools

  • Bayshore Public School — Ottawa-Carleton District School Board

    Elementary school (JK-5) at 145 Woodridge Crescent.

    Visit website

Amenities

Transit Options

OC Transpo bus routes run along Carling Avenue and Bayshore Drive, connecting to Bayshore Station on the O-Train Confederation Line's west extension. Check octranspo.com for current route numbers, since the network is periodically redesigned.

Nearby on This Site

No listings yet in this area.

Official Information

Last verified: August 27, 2026