Editing London, Ontario (section)

== History ==
A series of archaeological sites throughout [[southwestern Ontario]], named for the Parkhill Complex excavated near [[Parkhill, Ontario|Parkhill]], indicate the presence of [[Paleo-Indians]] in the area dating back approximately 11,000 years.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Parkhill Complex and Eastern Great Lakes Paleo Indian |first1=William B. |last1=Roosa |first2=D. Brian |last2=Deller |journal=Ontario Archaeology |volume=37 |pages=3–15 |year=1982 |url=https://www.ontarioarchaeology.org/Resources/Publications/oa37-1-roosa.pdf |access-date=9 June 2021 |archive-date=9 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609154207/https://www.ontarioarchaeology.org/Resources/Publications/oa37-1-roosa.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_nhs_eng.aspx?id=481 |title=Parkhill National Historic Site of Canada |publisher=Parks Canada |access-date=17 January 2021}}</ref> Just prior to European settlement, the London area was the site of several [[Attawandaron]], [[Odawa people|Odawa]], and [[Ojibwe]] villages. The [[Lawson Site]] in northwest London is an archaeological excavation and partial reconstruction of an approximately 500-year-old Neutral Iroquoian village, estimated to have been home to 2,000 people.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lawson Site |website=Canada's Historic Places |url=https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=1504&pid=0 |access-date=8 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Lawson Site |website=[[Museum of Ontario Archaeology]] |url=https://archaeologymuseum.ca/discover-archaeology/lawson-site/ |access-date=8 June 2021}}</ref> These groups were driven out by the [[Iroquois people|Iroquois]] by {{Circa|1654}} in the [[Beaver Wars]]. The Iroquois abandoned the region some 50 years later, driven out by the Ojibwa.<ref>{{cite book|last=Schmalz|first=Peter S.|title=The Ojibwa of Southern Ontario|year=1991|publisher=University of Toronto Press{{!}}|location=Toronto|isbn=978-0-8020-6778-4|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/ojibwaofsouthern0000schm |page=18}}</ref> An [[Anishinaabeg]] community site was described as located near the forks of Thames River (Anishinaabe language: Eshkani-ziibi, "Antler River") in {{Circa|1690}}<ref>Greg Curnoe, Deeds/Abstracts: The History of a London Lot (Brick Books, London Ontario,1995, ISBN 0-919626-78-5), pgs.41.</ref> and was referred to as Pahkatequayang<ref>"Missionary work Among The Ojebway Indians chap. 14". PROJECT GUTENBERG.</ref> ("Baketigweyaang":"At the River Fork" (lit: at where the by-stream is)).

The [[Oneida Nation of the Thames]], [[Chippewas of the Thames First Nation]], and [[Munsee-Delaware Nation]] reserves are located south-west of the city.

=== Settlement ===

The current location of London was selected as the site of the future capital of [[Upper Canada]] in 1793 by [[Lieutenant governor|Lieutenant-Governor]] [[John Graves Simcoe]], who also named the village which was founded in 1826.<ref name="lon">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2LAEAQAAIAAJ&q=%22named+after+london%22%22London,+Ontario+%22 |title=Canada: wonderland of surprises |author1=Max Braithwaite |publisher=Dodd, Mead |year=1967 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101234739/https://books.google.com/books?id=2LAEAQAAIAAJ&q=%22named+after+london%22%22London,+Ontario+%22&dq=%22named+after+london%22%22London,+Ontario+%22 |archive-date=1 January 2016 }}</ref> Originally, Simcoe had proposed to call it ''Georgiana'', in honour of [[George III]], the reigning monarch at that time.<ref>{{Cite book |title=City of London, Ontario, Canada. The Pioneer Period and the London of To-Day. |date=October 1900 |edition=2nd |pages=20}}</ref> It did not become the [[Capital (political)|capital]] Simcoe envisioned. Rather, it was an administrative seat for the area west of the actual capital, [[York, Upper Canada|York]] (now Toronto). The London Township Treaty of 1796 with the Chippewa ceded the original town site on the north bank of the Thames (then known as the ''Escunnisepe'') to Upper Canada.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=The Canadian Encyclopedia |url=https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/upper-canada-land-surrenders |title=Upper Canada Land Surrenders |access-date=7 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://openhistoryseminar.com/canadianhistory/chapter/document-8-london-township-treaty-1796/ |title=Document 8: London Township Treaty (1796) |date=10 March 2018 |access-date=7 June 2021}}</ref>

London was part of the [[Talbot Settlement]], named for Colonel [[Thomas Talbot (Upper Canada)|Thomas Talbot]], the chief administrator of the area, who oversaw the land surveying and built the first government buildings for the administration of the western Ontario peninsular region. Together with the rest of southwestern Ontario, the village benefited from Talbot's provisions not only for building and maintaining roads but also for assignment of access priorities to main routes to productive land.<ref name="begin">{{cite web| url=http://www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/About_London/london_history.htm| title=The beginnings| year=2009| publisher=City of London| access-date=24 September 2009| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125160114/http://london.ca/d.aspx?s=%2FAbout_London%2Flondon_history.htm| archive-date=25 November 2010}}</ref> Crown and [[clergy reserve]]s then received preference in the rest of Ontario.

In 1814, the [[Battle of Longwoods]] took place during the [[War of 1812]] in what is now [[Southwest Middlesex, Ontario|Southwest Middlesex]], near London.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Parks Canada Agency|first=Government of Canada|date=2016-12-07|title=Battle Hill National Historic Site|url=https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/on/battlehill|access-date=2020-06-09|website=pc.gc.ca}}</ref> The retreating British Army were staying at Hungerford Hill when they were attacked by the Kentucky Mounted Riflemen.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 289</ref> In 1827, a settlement was started Bryon when Cyrenius Hall built a gristmill.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 288</ref>

In 1832, the new settlement suffered an outbreak of [[cholera]].<ref name="timeline1">{{cite web| url=http://www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/About_London/timeline1-2.htm| title=Event Highlights for the City of London 1793–1843| publisher=City of London| access-date=24 September 2009| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101218012710/http://london.ca/d.aspx?s=%2FAbout_London%2Ftimeline1-2.htm| archive-date=18 December 2010}}</ref> London proved a centre of strong [[Upper Canada Tories|Tory]] support during the [[Upper Canada Rebellion]] of 1837, notwithstanding a brief rebellion led by [[Charles Duncombe (Upper Canada Rebellion)|Charles Duncombe]]. Consequently, the British government located its Ontario peninsular garrison there in 1838, increasing its population with soldiers and their dependents, and the business support populations they required.<ref name="begin" /> London was incorporated as a town in 1840.<ref name="timeline1" />

On 13 April 1845, a fire destroyed much of London, which was then largely constructed of wooden buildings.<ref name="timeline2">{{cite web| url=http://www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/About_London/timeline3.htm| title=Event Highlights for the City of London 1844–1894| publisher=City of London| access-date=24 September 2009| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101218012858/http://london.ca/d.aspx?s=%2FAbout_London%2Ftimeline3.htm| archive-date=18 December 2010}}</ref> One of the first casualties was the town's only fire engine. The fire burned nearly {{convert|30|acres}} of land, destroying 150 buildings, before it burned itself out later that day. One fifth of London was destroyed in the province's first million-dollar fire.<ref name=adams>{{cite book| first=Bill| last=Adams| title=The History of the London Fire Department of heroes, helmets and hoses| publisher=London Fire Department| edition=1st| year=2002| page=13| isbn=0-9732159-0-9}}</ref>

=== Development ===
[[File:Labatt s London Ale.jpg|thumb|left|Early advertisement for Labatt]]
[[John Carling]], Tory MP for London, gave three events to explain the development of London in a 1901 speech: the location of the court and administration in London in 1826, the arrival of the military garrison in 1838, and the arrival of the railway in 1853.<ref name=lutman>{{cite book| last=Lutman| first=John| title=The Historic Heart of London| publisher=Corporation of the City of London| year=1977| page=6}}</ref>  

The population in 1846 was 3,500. Brick buildings included a jail and court house, and large barracks. London had a fire company, a theatre, a large Gothic church, nine other churches or chapels, and two market buildings. The buildings that were destroyed by fire in 1845 were mostly rebuilt by 1846. Connection with other communities was by road, using mainly [[stagecoach]]es that ran daily. A weekly newspaper was published and mail was received daily by the post office.<ref>{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Wm. H. |date=1846 |title=Smith's Canadian Gazetteer – Statistical and General Information Respecting all parts of The Upper Province, or Canada West |url=https://archive.org/details/smithscanadianga00smit |location=Toronto |publisher=H. & W. Rowsell |page=[https://archive.org/details/smithscanadianga00smit/page/100 100] |access-date=1 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403155457/https://archive.org/details/smithscanadianga00smit |archive-date=3 April 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> Two villages named Petersville and Kensington once stood where downtown London now is.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 319</ref> Petersville was founded by Samuel Peters in 1853.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 319</ref> Kensington was founded around about 1878.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 320</ref> Petersville and Kensigton were amalgamated on 4 March 1881 to form London West.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 321</ref>

On 1 January 1855, London was incorporated as a city (10,000 or more residents).<ref name="begin" /> In the 1860s, a sulphur spring was discovered at the forks of the Thames River while industrialists were drilling for [[Petroleum|oil]].<ref name=sulphur>{{cite web| url=http://www.londonhistory.org/bath.htm| access-date=2 June 2008| title=Ontario White Sulphur Springs| publisher=The London and Middlesex Historical Society| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081030101201/http://londonhistory.org/bath.htm| archive-date=30 October 2008}}</ref> The springs became a popular destination for wealthy Ontarians, until the turn of the 20th century when a [[textiles|textile]] [[factory]] was built at the site, replacing the spa.

Records from 1869 indicate a population of about 18,000 served by three newspapers, churches of all major denominations and offices of all the major banks. Industries included several tanneries, oil refineries and foundries, four flour mills, the [[Labatt Brewing Company]] and the [[Carling brewery]] in addition to other manufacturing companies such as [[EMCO Wheaton]].<ref name=interview>{{cite web |url=http://bulk-distributor.com/2013/11/an-interview-with-darren-sabino-general-manager-of-americas-emco-wheaton/ |title=An interview with…. Darren Sabino, General Manager of Americas, Emco Wheaton |publisher=Ashley & Dumville Publishing Ltd |access-date=2014-03-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140314073722/http://bulk-distributor.com/2013/11/an-interview-with-darren-sabino-general-manager-of-americas-emco-wheaton/ |archive-date=2014-03-14 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Both the Great Western and [[Grand Trunk Railway|Grand Trunk]] railways had stops here. Several insurance companies also had offices in the city.
[[File:Street scene in London (I0005759).tif|thumb|[[Canada Trust]] was founded in London in 1864 as The Huron and Erie Trust. Its headquarters is visible in this 1960 photo. The successor bank is [[TD Canada Trust]], with the first [[Routing number (Canada)|transit number]] assigned to TD: 0001.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Then and now: A look at TD branch transit 0001|url=https://stories.td.com/ca/en/article/td-branch-transit-0001|access-date=2021-08-26|website=stories.td.com|language=en-CA}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Financial Institutions Branch Directory - Banks - Numeric List|url=https://www.payments.ca/sites/default/files/08-12-mbrbnksn.pdf|url-status=live|access-date=2021-08-26|website=[[Payments Canada]]|page=176|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210826064125/https://www.payments.ca/sites/default/files/08-12-mbrbnksn.pdf |archive-date=2021-08-26 }}</ref>]]
The [[Crystal Palace Barracks]], an octagonal brick building with eight doors and forty-eight windows built in 1861, was used for events such the [[Provincial Agricultural Fair of Canada West]] held in London that year. It was visited by [[Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn]], Governor-General [[John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar]] and Prime Minister [[John A. Macdonald]].<ref>{{cite book |last=McEvoy |first=H |date=1869 |title=The Province of Ontario Gazetteer and Directory |url=https://archive.org/details/provinceontario00mcevgoog |location=Toronto |publisher=Robertson & Cook |pages=[https://archive.org/details/provinceontario00mcevgoog/page/n329 269]–271 |isbn=0665094124 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=not stated |date=1889 |title=History of the County of Middlesex, Canada |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8qsCAAAAMAAJ&q=History+of+the+County+of+Middlesex%2C+Canada%3A+From+the+Earliest+Time+to |location=London |publisher=W.A. & C.L. Goodspeed |page=294 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170424001613/https://books.google.ca/books?id=8qsCAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=History+of+the+County+of+Middlesex,+Canada:+From+the+Earliest+Time+to&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjoxciA17rTAhUp7IMKHUKZB2oQ6AEIJTAA#v=onepage&q=History%20of%20the%20County%20of%20Middlesex%2C%20Canada%3A%20From%20the%20Earliest%20Time%20to&f=false |archive-date=24 April 2017 }}</ref>

Long before the [[Royal Military College of Canada]] was established in 1876, there were proposals for military colleges in Canada. Staffed by British Regulars, adult male students underwent three-month-long military courses from 1865 at the School of Military Instruction in London. Established by Militia General Order in 1865, the school enabled Officers of Militia or Candidates for Commission or promotion in the Militia to learn Military duties, drill and discipline, to command a Company at Battalion Drill, to Drill a Company at Company Drill, the internal economy of a Company and the duties of a Company's Officer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~theislands/photos6/ansonkeillmilcert.jpg|title=RootsWeb.com Home Page|website=freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407162844/http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~theislands/photos6/ansonkeillmilcert.jpg|archive-date=7 April 2016|access-date=7 June 2016}}</ref> The school was not retained at Confederation, in 1867.<ref>Richard Preston 'Canada's RMC: A History of the Royal Military College of Canada' published by the RMC Club by U of Toronto Press.</ref>
[[File:London Ontario Urban Sprawl.jpg|thumb|left|[[Urban sprawl|Residential suburban sprawl]] of London municipality]]
[[File:Blackfriars Bridge from South riverbed.jpg|thumb|Blackfriars Street Bridge]]
In 1875, London's first iron bridge, the [[Blackfriars Street Bridge]], was constructed.<ref name="timeline2" /> It replaced a succession of flood-failed wooden structures that had provided the city's only northern road crossing of the river. A rare example of a wrought iron bowstring arch through [[truss bridge]], the Blackfriars remains open to pedestrian and bicycle traffic, though it was temporarily closed indefinitely to vehicular traffic due to various structural problems<ref name=amoore>{{cite news |url=http://blackburnnews.com/london/2013/12/19/blackfriars-bridge-opens-to-pedestrians/ |title=Blackfriars Bridge Open To Pedestrians |first=Avery |last=Moore |publisher=Blackburn News |date=19 December 2013 |access-date=3 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304075243/http://blackburnnews.com/london/2013/12/19/blackfriars-bridge-opens-to-pedestrians/ |archive-date=4 March 2014 }}</ref> and was once again reopened to vehicular traffic 1 December 2018. The Blackfriars, amidst the river-distance between the [[Carling]] Brewery and the historic [[Labatt Park|Tecumseh Park]] (including a major mill), linked London with its western suburb of Petersville, named for Squire Peters of Grosvenor Lodge. That community joined with the southern subdivision of Kensington in 1874, formally incorporating as the municipality of Petersville. Although it changed its name in 1880 to the more inclusive "London West", it remained a separate municipality until ratepayers voted for amalgamation with London in 1897,<ref name="begin" /> largely due to repeated flooding. The most serious flood was in July 1883, which resulted in serious loss of life and property devaluation.<ref>{{cite thesis|last=Stott| first=Gregory| title=The Maintenance of Suburban Autonomy: The Story of the Village of Petersville-London West, Ontario, 1874–1897| degree=MA| publisher=University of Western Ontario| year=1999| chapter=Four}}</ref> This area retains much original and attractively maintained 19th-century tradespeople's and workers' housing, including [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]] cottages as well as larger houses, and a distinct [[sense of place]]. In 1897, London West was annexed to London.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 322</ref>
[[File:Queen Mum Flame July 7 1989.jpg|thumb|[[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother]] at the unveiling ceremony of the [[Flame of Hope (diabetes)|Flame of Hope]] in July 1989]]

London's eastern suburb, London East, was (and remains) an industrial centre, which also incorporated in 1874.<ref name="begin" /> It was founded as Lilley's Corners by Charles Lilley in 1854.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 312</ref> Oil was discovered in the Petrolia area and Lilley's Corners was chosen as the refining site because it was close to the railroad.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 315</ref> The Ontario Car Works, the Great Western Gasworks and the London Street Railroad all had their headquarters in Lilley's Corners.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 315</ref> In 1872, Lilley's Corners became a village.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 315</ref> It was annexed to London in 1885.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 312</ref> Attaining the status of town in 1881,<ref name="9b">{{cite web| url=http://council.london.ca/meetings/Archives/Agendas/Planning%20Committee%20Agendas/Planning%20Committee%20Agendas%202004/2004-08-30%20Agenda/Item%209b.pdf| title=Item 9b| publisher=London Advisory Committee on heritage| access-date=25 September 2009| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706184420/http://council.london.ca/meetings/Archives/Agendas/Planning%20Committee%20Agendas/Planning%20Committee%20Agendas%202004/2004-08-30%20Agenda/Item%209b.pdf| archive-date=6 July 2011}}</ref> it continued as a separate municipality until concerns over expensive waterworks and other fiscal problems led to amalgamation in 1885.<ref name="wilson">{{cite web| url=http://www.londonhistory.org/Londoneast.htm| title=London East| last=Wilson| first=Robert| publisher=London and Middlesex Historical Society| access-date=25 September 2009| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090131092251/http://londonhistory.org/Londoneast.htm| archive-date=31 January 2009}}</ref> The southern suburb of London, including Wortley Village, was collectively known as "London South". Never incorporated, the South was annexed to the city in 1890,<ref name="begin" /> although Wortley Village still retains a distinct [[sense of place]]. The area started to be settled in the 1860s.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 316</ref>  In 1880, Polk's ''Directory'' called London South "a charming suburb of the City of London.".<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 316</ref> By contrast, the settlement at Broughdale on the city's north end had a clear identity, adjoined the university, and was not annexed until 1961.<ref name="broughdale">{{cite web| url=http://broughdale.ca/| title=Broughdale Community Association| publisher=BCA| access-date=25 September 2009| url-status=usurped| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706170147/http://broughdale.ca/| archive-date=6 July 2011}}</ref> Broughdale was named after Reverend Charles C. Brough, the Anglican Archdeacon of London who settled there in 1854.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 283</ref> Broughdale started to grow when it was connected to the London Street Railroad in 1901, leading to a real estate bubble.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 285</ref> A post office was opened in Broughdale on 1 July 1904 with Charles Watlers as postmaster.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 286</ref> Broughdale was initially named Brough, but was renamed Broughdale in 1906 because it sounded better.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 286</ref> In 1924, the University of Western Ontario was founded in the former Broughdale.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 286</ref> After the founding of the university, Broughdale became more like a city and less like a village.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 286</ref> Broughdale was incorporated as a village in 1930.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 286</ref> In 1961, Broughdale was annexed to London.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 287</ref>

[[Ivor F. Goodson]] and Ian R. Dowbiggin have explored the battle over vocational education in London, Ontario, in the 1900–1930 era. The London Technical and Commercial High School came under heavy attack from the city's social and business elite, which saw the school as a threat to the budget of the city's only academic high school, London Collegiate Institute.<ref>Ivor F. Goodson and Ian R. Dowbiggin, "Vocational education and school reform: the case of the London (Canada) Technical School, 1900-1930" ''History of Education Review'' (1991) 20#1: 39–60.</ref>

The [[Banting House]], a National Historic Site of Canada, is where [[Frederick Banting]] developed the ideas that led to the discovery of [[insulin]]. Banting lived and practiced in London for ten months, from July 1920 to May 1921. London is also the site of the Flame of Hope, which is intended to burn until a cure for [[diabetes]] is discovered.<ref name="banting">{{cite web|url=http://www.diabetes.ca/about-us/who/banting-house/banting-square/|title=Sir Frederick G. Banting Square|publisher=Canadian Diabetes Association|access-date=25 September 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090408072126/http://www.diabetes.ca/about-us/who/banting-house/banting-square/|archive-date=8 April 2009}}</ref>

London's role as a military centre continued into the 20th century during the two World Wars, serving as the administrative centre for the Western Ontario district. In 1905, the London Armoury was built and housed the First Hussars until 1975. A private investor purchased the historic site and built a new hotel (Delta London Armouries, 1996) in its place, preserving the shell of the historic building. In the 1950s, two reserve battalions amalgamated and became [[3 Royal Canadian Regiment|London and Oxford Rifles (3rd Battalion), The Royal Canadian Regiment]].<ref name="dnd">{{cite web| url=http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/land-terre/units-unites/index-eng.asp?action=City&id=39&rid=267#267| title=London, Ontario| publisher=Department of National Defence| access-date=25 September 2009| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610202021/http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/land-terre/units-unites/index-eng.asp?action=City&id=39&rid=267#267| archive-date=10 June 2011}}</ref> This unit continues to serve today as 4th Battalion, [[The Royal Canadian Regiment]]. The Regimental Headquarters of [[The Royal Canadian Regiment]] remains in London at Wolseley Barracks on Oxford Street. The barracks are home to the First Hussars militia regiment as well.<ref name="dnd" />

=== Annexation to present ===
London [[Municipal annexation|annexed]] many of the surrounding communities in 1961, including [[Byron, Ontario|Byron]] and Masonville, adding 60,000 people and more than doubling its area.<ref name="begin" /> After this amalgamation, suburban growth accelerated as London grew outward in all directions, creating expansive new subdivisions such as Westmount, Oakridge, Whitehills, Pond Mills, White Oaks and Stoneybrook.<ref name="begin" />

On 1 January 1993, London annexed nearly the entire township of [[Westminster, Middlesex County, Ontario|Westminster]], a large, primarily [[rural municipality]] directly south of the city, including the [[police village]] of [[Lambeth, Middlesex County, Ontario|Lambeth]].<ref name="timeline10">{{cite web| url=http://www.london.ca/About-London/london-history/Pages/1977-to-2000.aspx| title=History of London – 1977 to 2000| publisher=City of London| access-date=21 January 2015| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150121143624/http://www.london.ca/About-London/london-history/Pages/1977-to-2000.aspx| archive-date=21 January 2015}}</ref> With this massive annexation, which also included part of [[London Township, Ontario|London township]], London almost doubled in area again, adding several thousand more residents. In the present day, London stretches south to the boundary with [[Elgin County]], north and east to [[Fanshawe Lake, Ontario|Fanshawe Lake]], north and west to the township of [[Middlesex Centre]] (the nearest developed areas of it being [[Arva, Ontario|Arva]] to the north and [[Komoka]] to the west) and east to [[Nilestown, Ontario|Nilestown]] and [[Dorchester, Ontario|Dorchester.]]

The 1993 annexation, made London one of the largest urban municipalities in Ontario.<ref name="martin07">{{cite news| url=http://www.lfpress.ca/cgi-bin/publish.cgi?p=220108&s=societe| title=Did Annexation Work?| last=Martin| first=Chip| date=29 December 2007| work=Special Report| publisher=London Free Press}}{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Intense commercial and residential development is presently occurring in the southwest and northwest areas of the city. Opponents of this development cite [[urban sprawl]],<ref name="ul-new">{{cite web| url=http://www.ul.london.on.ca/urbanweb/Links/UrbanPlanning/index.htm| title=New Directions in Urban Planning| publisher=Urban League of London| access-date=25 September 2009| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091203125215/http://www.ul.london.on.ca/urbanweb/Links/UrbanPlanning/index.htm| archive-date=3 December 2009}}</ref> destruction of rare [[Carolinian zone]] forest and farm lands,<ref name="ul-eco">{{cite web| url=http://www.ul.london.on.ca/urbanweb/ActiveCitizen/ESA/index.htm| title=Environmentally Significant Areas| year=2006| publisher=Urban League of London| access-date=25 September 2009| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706192355/http://www.ul.london.on.ca/urbanweb/ActiveCitizen/ESA/index.htm| archive-date=6 July 2011}}</ref> replacement of distinctive regions by generic malls, and standard transportation and pollution concerns as major issues facing London. The City of London is currently the [[List of the largest population centres in Canada|eleventh-largest urban area in Canada]], [[List of census metropolitan areas and agglomerations in Canada|eleventh-largest census metropolitan area in Canada]], and the sixth-largest city in Ontario.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/hlt/97-550/Index.cfm?TPL=P1C&Page=RETR&LANG=Eng&T=205&SR=1&S=3&O=D&RPP=33| title=Population and dwelling counts, for census metropolitan areas, 2006 and 2001 censuses: 100% data| date=19 December 2008| publisher=Statistics Canada| access-date=21 October 2009| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609203434/http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/hlt/97-550/Index.cfm?TPL=P1C&Page=RETR&LANG=Eng&T=205&SR=1&S=3&O=D&RPP=33| archive-date=9 June 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/popdwell/Table.cfm?T=801&PR=0&SR=1&S=3&O=D| title=Population and dwelling counts, for urban areas, 2006 and 2001 censuses: 100% data| date=5 November 2008| publisher=Statistics Canada| access-date=21 October 2009| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211091442/http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/popdwell/Table.cfm?T=801&PR=0&SR=1&S=3&O=D| archive-date=11 February 2009}}</ref>

===Disasters===
On [[Victoria Day]], 24 May 1881, the [[stern-wheeler]] ferry ''SS Victoria'' capsized in the [[Thames River (Ontario)|Thames River]] close to Cove Bridge in West London. Approximately 200 passengers drowned in the shallow river, making it one of the worst disasters in London's history, and is now dubbed "[[Victoria steamboat disaster|The Victoria Day Disaster]]". At the time, London's population was relatively small; therefore it was hard to find a person in the city who did not have a family member affected by the tragedy.

Two years later, on 12 July 1883,<ref name="timeline2" /> the first of the two most devastating floods in London's history killed 17 people. The second major flood, on 26 April 1937, destroyed more than a thousand houses across London, and caused over $50 million in damages, particularly in West London.<ref name="timeline5">{{cite web| url=http://www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/About_London/timeline6.htm| title=Event Highlights for the City of London 1930–1949| publisher=City of London| access-date=25 September 2009| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101218012505/http://london.ca/d.aspx?s=%2FAbout_London%2Ftimeline6.htm| archive-date=18 December 2010}}</ref><ref name="floods">{{cite web| url=http://ontario.hazards.ca/historical/Flood_Ontario-e.html| title=Historical Flood-Related Events| date=18 February 2009| publisher=Environment Canada| access-date=21 October 2009| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101105191921/http://ontario.hazards.ca/historical/Flood_Ontario-e.html| archive-date=5 November 2010}}</ref>

On 3 January 1898, the floor of the assembly hall at London City Hall collapsed, killing 23 people and leaving more than 70 injured. Testimony at a coroner's inquest described the wooden beam under the floor as unsound, with knots and other defects reducing its strength by one fifth to one third.<ref>{{cite web |title=The London Building Disaster |publisher=The Canadian Architect and Builder, Vol. XI, Issue 1 |date=January 1898| page=2 |url=http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/cab/Volume%2011/Issue%201/v11n1p2.gif |access-date=2 April 2020}}</ref>

After repeated floods, the [[Upper Thames River Conservation Authority]] in 1953 built Fanshawe Dam on the North Thames to control the downstream rivers.<ref name="timeline6">{{cite web| url=http://www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/About_London/timeline7.htm| title=Event Highlights for the City of London 1950–1959| publisher=City of London| access-date=25 September 2009| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101218012632/http://london.ca/d.aspx?s=%2FAbout_London%2Ftimeline7.htm| archive-date=18 December 2010}}</ref> Financing for this project came from the federal, provincial, and municipal governments. Other [[natural disaster]]s include a 1984 [[tornado]] that led to damage on several streets in the White Oaks area of South London.<ref name="timeline9">{{cite web| url=http://www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/About_London/timeline.htm| title=Event Highlights for the City of London 1980–1989| publisher=City of London| access-date=25 September 2009| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125163523/http://london.ca/d.aspx?s=%2FAbout_London%2Ftimeline.htm| archive-date=25 November 2010}}</ref>

On 11 December 2020, a partially-constructed apartment building just off of [[Wonderland Road]] in southwest London collapsed, killing two people and injuring at least four others.<ref>{{cite web |last1=LeBel |first1=Jacquelyn |last2=Bogdan |first2=Sawyer |last3=Westoll |first3=Nick |title=2 dead, 4 in hospital following building collapse in southwest London, Ont. |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/7516442/london-building-collapse/ |website=Global News |access-date=27 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218035104/https://globalnews.ca/news/7516442/london-building-collapse/ |archive-date=18 February 2021 |date=11 December 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=2 dead, 4 in hospital after partial building collapse at London, Ont., construction site |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/building-collapse-london-1.5837724 |website=CBC |access-date=27 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902091502/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/building-collapse-london-1.5837724 |archive-date=2 September 2021 |date=11 December 2020}}</ref> In January 2024, both Oxford County companies involved in the building's construction were fined $400,000, with The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development declaring the companies had failed to "provide proper information, instruction and supervision, specifically on the use of proper concrete measuring techniques on the project."<ref>{{cite web |title=Companies fined $400k in deadly London construction collapse |url=https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/companies-fined-400k-in-deadly-london-construction-collapse |website=London Free Press |access-date=31 July 2024}}</ref>