Lambeth, London, Ontario

Lambeth is a neighbourhood in the City of London, Ontario, Canada. It is immediately north of Highway 402, and east of Colonel Talbot Road. Almost all of its residents live in low-density, single detached dwellings. As of 2011, the area is home to 4,410 residents. [1] The neighbourhood is considered a middle to upper-income area, with an average family income of $129,685 an average dwelling value of $340,707 and a home ownership rate of 93%. [1]

Lambeth
Neighbourhood
Highway 4 looking north towards Lambeth from the Highway 402 interchange
Coordinates: 42°54′36″N 81°18′0″W
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
City	London
Settled Lambeth	1885
Incorporated (town)	1988 (as Westminster)
Amalgamation (city)	1993 (as London)
Government
• Type	Municipal (Ward 9)
• Administrative body	London City Council
• Councillor	Anna Hopkins
Population  (2011)
• Total	4,410
• Average Income	$42,004
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern Time Zone)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (Eastern Time Zone)
Postal Code	N6P

History

Lambeth was formerly a population centre in Westminster Township, Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada. It held the status of Police Village (lacking corporate status as a village, but administered by a board of trustees) until an effort was made by the local Reeve, David Murray, to stop annexation by the City of London which brought about the creation of the Town of Westminster in 1988, which itself ceased to exist on December 31, 1992. [2] On January 1, 1993, the Town of Westminster, including the village of Lambeth, became part of the City of London. [3][4] As Lambeth is still somewhat separated from the city's urban area, some residents still think of the neighbourhood as a distinct town, and there still official town limit signs when entering it.

Its post office dates from 1857.[5]

During World War II, the Royal Canadian Navy set up an radio direction finding (radar) station at Lambeth. Its purpose was to acquire a bearing whenever a German U-boat transmitted a radio messages back to their HQ. The resultant bearing was then sent to the Officer-In-Charge in Ottawa over a dedicated teletype line. Direction finding equipment was housed in a white shack located at an airfield in what is now a big box retail complex at the northwest corner of Wharncliffe Road and Wonderland Road (formerly Airport Road) a couple of kilometres from Lambeth. The station began operating in the first few days of January 1943 and closed war’s end. Nothing remains of the runways or the buildings.

Arts and culture

The neighbourhood comes together to celebrate its agricultural past each fall. This celebration is called Harvestfest and it usually takes place the first week after Labour Day, beginning on the Thursday and running until late Sunday.[6] It features many events such as a baseball tournament, an adult dance, teen dance, and pre-teen dance, parade, occasional rides for kids, pancake breakfast for the town, auto show and shine, as well as two beer tents in different locations featuring a live band all day and night.[7] Lambeth celebrated its 200th anniversary of settlement throughout 2009.

Government and politics

Lambeth exists within the federal electoral district of Elgin—Middlesex—London. It is currently represented by Karen Vecchio of the Conservative Party of Canada, first elected in 2015.

Provincially, the area is within the constituency of Elgin—Middlesex—London. It is currently represented by Jeff Yurek of the Progressive Conservative Party, first elected in 2003 and re-elected in 2011 and 2014.

In London's non-partisan municipal politics, Lambeth lies within ward 9. It is currently represented by Councillor Anna Hopkins, first elected in 2014.

Infrastructure

Until 1960, Lambeth was served by the Byron Telephone Company. The Byron Telephone Company had installed its first automatic dial exchange in Lambeth in the late 1950s, the Oliver 2 exchange, which replaced the manual magneto phone system that continued to operate in the Byron area until September 1963. The Byron company was sold to Bell Canada in August 1960, and Byron itself, a population centre, was annexed to London on January 1, 1961. Immediately prior to the conversion to dial, the Byron operator was reached from London telephones by dialing 471, which became the exchange prefix upon conversion to dial.

Education

Lambeth Public School
Address
6820 Duffield Street London , Ontario , N6P 1A4 Canada
Information
Type	Elementary
School board	Thames Valley District School Board
Principal	Lisa Williams
Grades	Kindergarten to Grade 8
Education system	Public
Language	English
Website	Lambeth Public School

Covenant Christian School
Address
7 Howard Avenue London , Ontario , N6P 1B3 Canada
Information
Type	Elementary
Religious affiliation(s)	Christian
Opened	1976[8]
School board	Canadian Reformed School Society of London and District
Grades	Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 8
Enrollment	65[8] (2015)
Education system	Separate
Language	English
Website	Covenant Christian School

• Lambeth Public School - public elementary, part of the Thames Valley District School Board[9]
• Covenant Christian School - separate (Christian) elementary, part of Canadian Reformed School Society of London and District[8]

References

1. "Lambeth" (PDF). Neighbourhood Profiles. City of London - Planning Division. 2014. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
2. Curtis, Bruce. "The Boundary Adjustment Process: The Case of Arbitration In The Greater London Area" (PDF). University of Western Ontario. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
3. Meligrana, John F. (2000). "The Politics of Municipal Annexation: The Case of the City of London's Territorial Ambitions during the 1950s and 1960s" (PDF). Urban History Review. Vo. 29 (No. 1): 3–20. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
4. Symons, Evelyn. "Lambeth Harvestfest". Londoner. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
5. Hamilton, William (1978). The Macmillan Book of Canadian Place Names. Toronto: Macmillan. pp. 155. ISBN 0-7715-9754-1.
6. Pedro, Kelly. "Drinking violations halt Harvestfest". The London Free Press. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
7. "Lambeth & Community Harvest Festival". Retrieved 24 April 2016.
8. Covenant Christian School (PDF), retrieved 2015-07-01
9. "Lambeth Public School". Thames Valley District School Board. Retrieved 2016-04-21.