Victoria Park

During the 19th century natural landscapes were replaced by managed natural environments, structured gardens, and manicured lawns.  Public parks and gardens were thought to instill civic pride and remedy the ills of urbanization and industrialization.  In London, Victoria Park was dedicated as an ornamental, landscaped park in 1874. Later, Queen’s Park was used for baseball, horse racing, and the Western Fair.  Located beside London’s new municipal waterworks, Springbank Park became a popular destination for steamboat excursions on the Thames.

Lawson Gazebo

Original Structure
Built Late 1930s

The Lawson Gazebo, situated in our Victoria Park was donated to Fanshawe Pioneer Village in 1993 by Miggsie Lawson.  It was commissioned to be built for Miggsie by her husband, Colonel Tom Lawson.

Simple white gazebo with blue accents in the Village’s Victoria Park. A small garden surrounds it.

Union Flag

The Union Flag, commonly known as the Union Jack, flies on one of the Village’s mobile wooden flag poles.

The Union Flag or Union Jack, the flag of the United Kingdom, was used throughout the British Empire.  Known in Canada as the Royal Union Flag, it was the official flag until 1965.  The current flag’s design dates to 1801 with the Act of Union of Ireland with England (and Wales) and Scotland.  It combines Britain’s cross of St. George (the red +), Scotland’s cross of St. Andrew (the white X), and Ireland’s cross of St. Patrick (the red X).  It does not include the Welsh dragon, as Wales had been annexed by England prior to its design.  Today, Wales is its own country within the United Kingdom.  Since 1921 only Northern Ireland has been part of the United Kingdom and therefore Ireland no longer uses the Union Flag.  The United Empire Loyalist’s Flag recognizes the version of the Flag that was used at the time of the American Revolution.

A young visitor participates in a relay race in Victoria Park, carrying an egg on a spoon.
A group of children reenactors enjoying ice cream on the Village teeter totter during a Fanshawe 1812 event.
A snow covered view of Victoria Park in the winter with Peel House and Trinity Church in the background.
Reenactors provide a musket firing demonstration in the park, dressed as members of the British army circa the War of 1812.
A man and women in costume play the game of graces using a hoop and sticks. Graces was a game brought to North America from France. It was popular in the early 1800s and Victorian period and was one of the few games considered appropriate for a boy
Many of the Village's special event activities are held in Victoria Park. Here, an interpreter dressed as a princess shares a story with a group of young visitors in front of the Lawson Gazebo during a past event.