Victoria Park (London)

:"For the parks in London, England, see Victoria Park, East London and Victoria Park, Finchley."Victoria Park is an 18-acre (73,000 m²) park located in downtown London, Ontario, in Canada. It is one of the major centres of community events in London.

The park was originally the site of the British garrison, as well as the cricket grounds. The garrison was expanded with new buildings during and after the Upper Canada Rebellion in 1837. The British troops withdrew to Europe in 1853 to train for the Crimean War, but their barracks were used to house escaped slaves from the United States, as one of the end stations of the Underground Railway. The troops returned in 1861, fearing that the American Civil War might spread to Canada. In 1874 the park was transferred to the city and renamed Victoria Park, after Queen Victoria.

Although designated for recreational activities, the park was still used as a military garrison when necessary. As London was the centre of the Western Ontario military district (District No. 1), troops were stationed in the park during the Second Boer War, World War I, and World War II; there was some minor rioting in the park during the Conscription Crisis of 1944, when conscripts demanded to be sent to Europe.

In 1907 three cannons from the Crimean War were placed in the park. In 1912 a statue was built as a memorial to the Boer War, and a cenotaph was built in 1934. A Sherman tank (known as the "Holy Roller") used in World War II was placed there in 1950.

The park also has an ice skating rink in the winter, built every winter since 1913. The bandshell was built in 1950 (rebuilt in 1990). The area in front of the bandshell now serves as a free, public skatepark, consisting of many metal benches and a stage drop. Near the bandshell is the Women's Memorial for the victims of the École Polytechnique massacre in Montreal, built in 1994.

Many annual events are held in Victoria Park. These include 3-on-3 basketball competitions (The Gus Macker & Hoop-it-up), Sunfest, the Home County Folk Festival, Rib Fest, A Taste of London and Fiesta del Sol. Every winter, there is an annual vigil for the École Polytechnique Massacre, the trees in the park are decorated with Christmas lights, the "Lighting of the Lights" and Snowfest is held in February. The number and frequency of events has been a concern with the resulting damage to the foliage, prompting some partial rescheduling to minimize the wear.

The park is notable for the presence of a large number of melanistic (black) Eastern Gray Squirrels ("Sciurus carolinensis"). In February 1961 a group of these was taken to Kent State University, in Ohio, USA, where they have become firmly established.

External links

* [http://www.victoria-park.com/front.htm Victoria Park]
* [http://www.london.ca City of London Web site]
* [http://www.registrars.kent.edu/home/SITE_NAVS/history.htm A brief history of the black squirrels at Kent State University]