London Heritage Farm is a historical site that contains the 1880s London family farm house and a park overlooking the south arm of the

Fraser River The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of Vancouver. The river's annual d ...

. The farmhouse runs a tea room, gift shop and six display rooms. The grounds include heritage and herb gardens, the restored Spragg family barn, antique farming equipment, a small hand tool museum, chickens,

Honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

and Blue Orchard bees, community gardens/allotments and large lawns as well as picnic tables and public washrooms. The London farmhouse has been fully restored and furnished to illustrate rural life in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

during the 1880 to 1930 era. Six rooms display the furniture, pictures, clothing, quilts and everyday articles of the era. London Heritage Farm is owned by the City of Richmond and operated by the London Heritage Farm Society. Operations and improvements to the house are financed through donations, the operation of the tea room, gift shop and special events held by the Society. The 1992 film

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written and directed by

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, starring

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and

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was filmed on location here.

The London Family

Charles Edwin London, aged 16, and his brother William, aged 17, arrived in British Columbia from

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

in 1877. Three years later, the brothers purchased of land for $2000, erected a small farmhouse and began clearing and draining the land in preparation for farming. In 1888, Charles married Henrietta Dalzeil of

Dalbeattie Dalbeattie (, sco, Dawbeattie, gd, Dail Bheithe meaning 'haugh of the birch' or ''Dail'' ''bhàite'' 'drowned (''i.e.'' liable to flood) haugh') is a town in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Dalbea ...

, Scotland, and started building the farmhouse that stands today. The farmhouse was built in two stages, with the back, northern wing being completed first and the front, southern part of the house added in the 1890s and finished in 1898. In addition to the house and farm, the London's established a general store and post office and built a wharf to receive supplies and to ship their milk and produce (hay, oats and vegetables) to

New Westminster New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the capita ...

. Charles and Henrietta London had eight children, of whom three died in infancy. Henrietta died in 1916 and the family stayed at London Farm only another three years before moving to the Marpole area of Vancouver. However, in 1921, Lucy (the London's eldest daughter) and her husband, Herbert Howse, bought the farm back. They farmed and raised their family at London Farm until 1948. Thereafter, the farmhouse was rented by a series of families until its purchase by the City of Richmond in 1978.

The London Heritage Farm Society

The London Heritage Farm Society worked with the City of Richmond for several years to save the farmhouse prior to the city's purchase of the house together with four acres of original London farmland. Then, once the house and site were registered as a heritage site under the BC Heritage Act, the Society signed a 25-year operating agreement and restored the house. The London Heritage Farm Society and the City of Richmond still work together to run and improve to the house and its environs.

References

{{Reflist
London Heritage Farm
Buildings and structures in Richmond, British Columbia Farm museums in Canada Historic house museums in British Columbia