Simcoe’s Choice: Celebrating London’s Bicentennia

On March 2-3, 1793, Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe and a small entourage visited the forks of the Thames River. His purpose was to decide if the site was suitable for the location of the future capital of Upper Canada. He was not disappointed. In the words of Simcoe's adjutant, Major Littlehales, "he judged it to be a situation eminently calculated for the metropolis of Canada." In fact, Simcoe was so favourably impressed that he later had the area set aside as a Crown reserve. His plans for a capital, however, were foiled by both Upper Canadian and British opposition. But the Crown reserve remained and in 1826 it was chosen to succeed Vittoria, then the London District capital located near Long Point. With this administrative impetus, London began to develop, and over the last 200 years it has grown into a city of 300,000 people.

To commemorate the importance of Simcoe's visit, the London and Middlesex Historical Society put together a special set of essays touching on various aspects of London's history since 1793. The reader will find familiar topics reconsidered: the ideas and influences of Governor Simcoe, the stirring days of the Rebellions of 1837, the imperial strategy behind the establishment of London as the district capital, the effects of the great fires of 1844 and 1845, as well as insights into the personalities of the Donnellys. In addition, several essays go beyond the usual historical topics to consider diverse new themes, including local pioneer stone architecture, the splendid visual legacy of our early military artists, the dual nature of London's Victorian attitudes towards morality and obscenity, Sir Adam Beck's electrification of the London and Port Stanley Railroad, the events leading up to the disappearance of the ill-fated Carling flight 1927, London's proposed downtown freeway, and the evolution of city planning in London. Finally, a provocative essay considers the threat of development to the city's pleasing architectural ambience.

The wide range of topics will appeal to all those interested in tracing the advances, and occasional setbacks, of the city founded as a result of "Simcoe's Choice."