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London, Ontario, Canada Information

PRACTICALITIES

London’s train station is centrally situated at York and Richmond, a couple of minutes’ walk east of the bus depot at York and Talbot. The most central tourist office is in city hall at 300 Dufferin Ave and Wellington (Mon-Fri 8.30am-4.30pm; tel 519/661-5000 or 1-800/265-2602, www.city.london.on.ca ). As far as accommodation is concerned, the best hotel in town is the smart and polished Delta London Armouries Hotel , 325 Dundas St and Waterloo (tel 519/679-6111 or 1-800/668-9999; $100-125), part of which occupies an old Edwardian drill hall with a robust, crenellated facade. A less expensive but equally convenient option is the Comfort Hotel – Downtown , a standard-issue chain hotel at 374 Dundas St and Colborne (tel 519/661-0233 or 1-800/228-5150; $80-100). Incidentally, the cheapest hotels in town are in the vicinity of the bus station, but these are little more than flop-houses and are best avoided. London also has around fifteen B&Bs , some of which are in fetching Victorian or Edwardian villas. The tourist office has the complete list, but one recommendation is London’s Little Inn B&B , 321 Dufferin Ave (tel 519/642-2323; vanboxmeer@cheerful.com , $40-60), which occupies a cosy, two-storey Victorian home right in the centre at Waterloo Street. Some rooms are en suite, others have shared bathrooms and there’s also a pretty garden. A second good choice is the Rose House B&B , 526 Dufferin Ave and William Street (tel 519/433-9978; $40-60), in a grand old Edwardian house that has been tastefully decorated in period style. Some rooms are en suite.

In recent years, eating out in London has become much more enjoyable, with the opening of a string of cafer estaurants along and around Richmond Street, with the majority offering a broadly Mediterranean cuisine at affordable prices. The best deli sandwiches, coffees and cakes in town are sold at Sebastians , one of several food stalls in the delightful Sebastians Market, 539 Richmond and Kent. Tempting restaurants include Bon Appetit , 476 Richmond at Dufferin Avenue (tel 519/439-2560), which serves up Italian meals and has a pleasant patio area, and nearby Garlics , 481 Richmond (tel 519/432-4092), where the emphasis is also Italian. For something different, Budapest , 348 Dundas at Waterloo (tel 519/439-3431), is a family-run establishment offering first-rate Hungarian food the goulash is a treat. London has a music scene too: try the Old Chicago Speakeasy & Grill (tel 519/434-6600), on Carling, a short side street off Richmond just north of Dundas, where quality R&B, soul and blues bands sometimes perform.

EXPLORE LONDON ONTARIO

Centre

London’s downtown core is laid out as a grid on either side of its main east-west thoroughfares, Dundas Street and, one block to the north, Queen Avenue. At the west end of Dundas, close to the river, is the chunkily modernist Art Gallery , 421 Ridout St N (Tues-Sun noon-5pm; free), designed by Raymond Moriyama of Toronto. A once fashionable architect, Moriyama favoured dramatic concrete buildings characterized by a preference for contorted curves and circles rather than straight lines, but here the end result isn’t all that successful. Inside, the gallery’s permanent collection features a somewhat indeterminate mix of lesser eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Canadian painters and there’s a modest local history section too, but the temporary modern art exhibitions – some of which come here straight from Toronto – are usually excellent.

London’s oldest residence, Eldon House (Tues-Sun noon-5pm; $3) is a couple of minutes’ walk north from the gallery, at 481 Ridout St N. Built in the 1830s by John Harris, a retired Royal Navy captain, the house is a graceful clapboard dwelling, whose interior has been returned to its mid-nineteenth-century appearance. The British influence is also easy to pick out in the nearby St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral – take Fullarton from the Eldon House as far as Richmond. A simple red-brick structure built in the English Gothic Revival style in 1846, it’s in marked contrast to its rival cathedral, St Peter’s Catholic Cathedral , just to the north at Dufferin and Richmond, a flamboyant, high-towered, pink-stone edifice typical of the French Gothic style that was popular amongst Ontario’s Catholics in the late nineteenth century.

Ska-Nah-Doht Iroquoian Village

Though not exactly required viewing, the replica Ska-Nah-Doht Iroquoian village (Mon-Fri 9am-4.30pm; donation; tel 519/264-2420), situated 32km southwest of London on Hwy 2, makes for an enjoyable jaunt. Built in 1972, the complex contains a resource centre, where you can gather background information before walking out to the village, which is enclosed by a timber palisade. Inside the palisade are storage areas, drying and stretching racks, a sweat house and three long-houses; outside are a deer run, burial area, a cultivated field and three log cabins dating from the 1850s. The arrangement of the village accurately reflects the archeological evidence unearthed at several prehistoric settlements, one of which was close by. The village also has a lovely rural setting and – if the school groups that come here begin to wear – you can stroll out into the woods.

To get here, head south from London and then go west on Hwy 402. After about 12km, come off Hwy 402 (at Exit 86) and follow Hwy 2 south for about 6km Copyright Rough Guides Ltd as trustee for its authors. Published by Rough Guides. All rights reserved.The Rough Guides name is a trademark of Rough Guides Ltd.

This region of south-central Ontario (midway between Toronto and Windsor) was modeled after the best of London, England. Therefore, London has its own Thames River, and nearby Stratford, the namesake of Shakespeare’s hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon has its own internationally acclaimed theater festival and its own Avon River.

Many of the attractions in London are connected to local history. Fanshawe Pioneer Village is a re-creation of a town from the 1800s that presents crafts demonstrations. At the London Museum of Archeology, visitors can witness an ongoing archeological dig. Iroquoian life around the year 1000 is the focus of the Ska-Nah-Doht Iroquoian Village. Eldon House, built in 1834, is the city’s oldest building, and you can also find and visit many lovely Victorian residences in town.

Museums include the London Regional Art and Historical Museum; the London Museum of Archaeology, which is located next to an ongoing dig site called the Lawson Prehistoric Indian Village; and the Royal Canadian Regiment Museum which displays military memorabilia. There is also the Guy Lombardo Museum, where the legendary bandleader and his talented acquaintances are remembered in photographs and other memorabilia.

London is buzzing with an abundance of festivals throughout the calendar year. Local and out-of-town restaurants compete for the title of Best Ribs at the London Rib Fest in late July, the same weekend as the Balloon Festival where dozens of beautifully covered hot air balloons fill the air. The annual Western Fair runs for 10 days each September with a special children’s midway, top name performers at the Grandstand, home arts and horticultural competitions. Later in the fall, experience the hilarity of the Canadian Comedy Awards Festival at various downtown venues.

Throughout the year visitors to London will enjoy an outstanding selection of interesting attractions. For all travelers on all levels of budgets, London is at its best in its downtown core. If it’s the arts you enjoy, then settle in for pure enjoyment. Take in a play at The Grand Theatre, or enjoy a performance of Orchestra London.

London has seen the richness of the culture and traditions of the Iroquois Nation; the settlement by Colonel John Graves Simcoe and his British associates; the architectural and artistic accomplishments of the Victorian era; the emergence of a big band legend; the discovery of insulin, and much more. London is a city of traditions and treasured memories. It is also a modern commercial and industrial center, and a lively and entertaining place. For the past 100 years, Londoners have planted around 1,000 trees annually to keep the area green, earning the name “Forest City.” This is London: a city that is always advancing and growing, yet one that has deep roots in the past.

London Canada City Information

Population: 336,539

Elevation: 850 feet

Time Zone: Eastern Standard Time. When it is 12:00 noon in London, Ontario, it is also 12:00 noon in New York City, USA.

Average Temperatures: Month High Low

January 30F 16F

February 30F 15F

March 37F 23F

April 50F 34F

May 63F 44F

June 73F 54F

July 79F 59F

August 77F 58F

September 69F 59F

October 56F 40F

November 43F 31F

December 33F 21F

National Holidays:

January 1 New Year’s Day

Good Friday and Easter Monday (date varies)

Victoria Day (Third Monday in May)

Canada Day (July 1)

Civic Holiday (First Monday in August)

Labour Day (First Monday in September)

Thanksgiving (Second Monday in October)

Remembrance Day November 11

Christmas Day December 25

Boxing Day December 26