Day 2 London ON

 Monday June 2022 - London ON

Click here for Day 1

Middlesex Courthouse

Day 2

Day 3

Weekly recap including meals

Monday we had breakfast at the hotel and headed out around 10:30. The plan was to walk along Richmond, according to the tour guide:

Take a stroll on Richmond Row with its upscale shops like David E. White Clothier and Hangar 9, as well as other chic boutiques, salons and cafés. With wide sidewalks and leafy trees, Richmond Row is also home to some of the most diverse restaurants in the city.

It was too early for Spageddy Eddy's to be open, I would love to see the inside.

Standing within the London’s business core the Dominion Public Building is a distinctive example of Modern Classicism. It is a six-storey building with a tall tower emphasizing one end. Built of smooth ashlar limestone, the impression created is of a stepped skyscraper with a long extension to the rear.

 

The building is distinguished by the strong vertical accent of the multi-storey piers and recessed windows, the polished black granite used for the plinth course, around the entry doors and by the decorative masonry carvings.

The Dominion Public Building is a very good example of the theme of the establishment of a federal presence in communities across Canada; also of the theme of major buildings erected under the Public Works Construction Act of 1934. In an effort to alleviate the worst effects of the Great Depression the Federal Government allocated 40 million dollars to public works so as to generate employment and to stimulate the economy. The Dominion Public Building is one of the more prominent of the 26 buildings erected under this Act.
  

Yes, London Ontario has a St. Paul's too.

St. Paul's Cathedral is the seat of the Diocese of Huron of the Anglican Church of Canada. It was designed in the Gothic revival style by William Thomas and built between 1844 and 1846, replacing the previous church, which was built in 1834 and burned down in 1844. It is the oldest church in the city.

The grounds of the Cathedral once served as a graveyard for the village of London. Most of the interred and their grave markers were transferred to Woodland Cemetery, which is owned and operated by the Cathedral. Twelve marked graves remain on the Cathedral grounds as reminders of London's early pioneer days.

Just a block away is St. Peter's Cathedral Basilica, the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese. 

It was established in1834 and the first church was constructed of logs at the southwest corner of Dufferin Avenue and Richmond Street. Prior to this, a travelling priest visited the area to celebrate Mass for Catholic residents. The church was dedicated to St. Lawrence and could hold 180 people. It was destroyed along with much of the town in the London fire of 11 April 1845.

A larger frame church was built with donated materials and labour, but this church also burned in August 1850. This was replaced by a new St. Lawrence Church constructed of brick. The new church was located at the northeast corner of Dufferin and Richmond, just in front of the present structure. 

The Diocese of London was created in 1856 and Bishop Pierre-Adolphe Pinsoneault selected St. Lawrence as his cathedral renaming the church St. Peter's.

St. Peter's was raised to the status of a minor basilica 13 December 1961 by Pope John XXIII.

There was a funeral taking place and we were told to come back after to visit. However, it was locked when we returned.

We were curious to notice that along with the Gothic gargoyles there were two modern images. I later learned they were Bishop Walsh and Bishop Cody. Bishop Walsh's face is carved into the Cathedral facade to the right of the main door. Bishop Cody's face is on the other side of the doorway. Why these two Bishops? It was under Walsh that the building itself was constructed, the Diocese grew rapidly, and St. Peter's returned to being a Cathedral Church. Under Cody, the Cathedral was completed and became a Minor Basilica.

Neptune's is a 1950s sci-fi diner.

The pink Marble Slab is an ice cream shop.

Brewery. 

Joe Kool's.

The park was originally the site of the British garrison, as well as the cricket grounds. The garrison was expanded with new buildings during and after the Upper Canada Rebellion in 1837. The British troops withdrew to Europe in 1853 to train for the Crimean War, but their barracks were used to house escaped slaves from the United States, as one of the end stations of the Underground Railway. The troops returned in 1861, fearing that the American Civil War might spread to Canada. In 1874, the park was transferred to the city and renamed Victoria Park, after Queen Victoria.

Santa's House is supposed to move to a permanent location at Covent Garden Market.

The bandshell was built in 1950 (rebuilt in 1990). The area in front of the bandshell now serves as a free, public skatepark, consisting of many metal benches and a stage drop.

Near the bandshell is the Women's Memorial for the victims of the École Polytechnique massacre in Montreal, built in 1994.

Time for some drinks.

John offered to stop here the next day when we had the car.

Perfect spot, by the railway tracks.

Waiting for the train to pass.

Image source as I forget to get a photo of our lunch spot.

Cousin Vinny's pizza and deli.

Alexander Keith is a brewery in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The clock faces south. It takes the shape of the top of a traditional barrel cask with the burnt branding of Alexander Keith's and "EST. 1820" at the centre. From the centre, the brown hands extend. There are no numerals.

Click here to visit the Halifax brewery.

Walking back along York St. after getting wine at the LCBO. You can tell they are going to be building condos in this area. Whenever they open a liquor store and a new bank branch you know new housing is coming.

A black and white photograph of the Tecumseh House Hotel with its portico facing Richmond Street. The hotel was located on the south west corner of Richmond and York Streets. The photograph may have been taken in very early spring as there are no leaves on the trees in front of the hotel yet several of the upper floor windows are open. Traces of snow are seen in the left foreground and the road way appears wet at the intersection. Several people are walking by or standing on the street. In the left foreground is a horse drawn carriage. A low single rung fence with ball topped posts runs along the front of the hotel as well as the York Street side.
The Tecumseh House, west side Richmond St., between York and the C.N.R.(Canadian National Railway) tracks. This hotel was erected in 1856, and for nearly three-quarters of a century was London's biggest hostelry. When the Prince of Wales (Edward VII) visited London in Sept. 1860, he stayed here, and the great ball given on the occasion was held at the rear of the hotel. About 1890. Other famous guests included Sir John A. McDonald, Henry Ford and Louis Riel.

Back to the hotel.