London Ontario Downtown Walking Tour (Self Guided), London

Victoria Park is an 18-acre park located in downtown London, Ontario, in Canada. It is one of the major centres of community events in London. Many annual events are held in Victoria Park. These include Sunfest, the Home County Folk Festival, The London Rib-Fest, The International Food Festival, LOLA and Fiesta del Sol. Since 2008 all events in Victoria Park are part of the Greening of the Festivals and required to have a waste management plan to eliminate unnecessary waste to landfill.

This includes a suitable number of Eco-Stations (the place where attendees dispose of waste) and all food and beverage containers are required to be either recyclable or compostable. In the first year, these efforts led to an improvement from 5% waste diversion to a 50% waste diversion from landfill.

The origins of the foundation of Saint Peter’s Cathedral Basilica date back to 1834 when the parish was established here; it was known as Saint Lawrence. The old church burned down along with numerous other buildings in the London fire of 1845. In 1880 the city gained a fine example of a French Gothic Revival church designed by John Connolly. It has an ornate twin-tower façade and a richly decorated interior. In 1961 this Roman Catholic Church received the status of Basilica from Pope John XXII. Today Saint Peter’s Church is the seat of the Diocese of London.

The Grand Theatre is a professional theatre located at 471 Richmond Street just south of Dufferin Avenue in London, Ontario, Canada. The Grand is an excellent example of the Proscenium Arch Theatre and is one of the more traditional forms of theatrical design. It was designed to send music and sound from the stage into the audience. Among the great actors who have performed under the magnificent proscenium arch of The Grand are: W.C. Fields, Sarah Bernhardt, Michael Redgrave, Donald O'Connor, Sidney Poitier, Jessica Tandy, Hume Cronyn, Maggie Smith, Michael Burgess, William Hutt, Martha Henry, Karen Kain, Victor Garber, Sandra Oh, and Leonard Nimoy.

Saint Paul’s Cathedral is a beautiful terra cotta church, home of the Diocese of Huron – a division of the Anglican Church of Canada. It was built in 1845 in Gothic Revival architectural style by English architect William Thomas, who contributed to over twenty other buildings in Ontario. Originally the towers included six bells, but in 1901 another four were added and in 1935 they were recast into eleven.

The oldest church in the city, Saint Paul’s Cathedral has an ornate interior decorated with carved wood frescoes and beautiful stained glass designs. The church has a large congregation with good traditions of Mass services and other religious events. The designated plaque installed in 2006 officially crowns the Cathedral as a Heritage Property of the City of London.

Museum London is one of the most prominent art and history museums in the city. The museum hosts fine art collections of more than 5.000 works including photography, prints and contemporary sculptures made by local and national artists. Visitors can also explore over 25.000 important historical objects related to the rich past of the city.

Convent Market offers a wide variety of specialty shops and services. You cand find here fresh fruits & vegetables, meats & cheeses.

Founded in 1994, the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame is a national organization that is working to support and appreciate national medical heroes through its excellent exhibitions, educational programs and induction ceremonies. A new exhibition hall was opened in 2003 on the main floor of the building and it features an extensive portrait collection of notable doctors, academics, scientists and others whose outstanding achievements and contributions have influenced the face of medicine and health care in Canada and in the whole world.

On Dundas Street you can experience the unique charm and ambiance of a small historic town, from the old buildings and quaint restaurants, specialty shops and food emporiums.

Dundas Street Centre United Church is another beautiful Methodist church built in Romanesque architectural style at the end of the 19th century on the site of an old Gothic yellow-brick church. With the decorated tower and large dome, this impressive red-brick church is recognized as a designated historic site in London. The main highlights of the church’s interior include a tall organ with over 3,000 pipes, a unique semicircular balcony, carved wood frescoes and Victorian stained glass designs.

Banting House, also known as “The Birthplace of Insulin”, is a museum and home to the London branch of the Canadian Diabetes Association. In this house the discovery of insulin took place by Sir Frederick Banting in 1920. He lived in this house for 10 months. The museum features exhibitions related to Banting life. Here visitors can see interesting displays of numerous medals, Banting’s Memorial Cross, a copy of his Nobel Prize and many other prominent artifacts. There is also an excellent collection of paintings made by Banting and presented to the public.