Warwick, Ontario

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Warwick is a rural township in Lambton County, Ontario with a population (2006) of 4,025.

Bisected by the Egremont Road that was surveyed to link London with the Lake Huron shoreline in 1832, the township began to attract settlers including those helped by charitable organizations, such as Lord Sheffield's Petworth settlers, and retired soldiers from the British Army. A village by the same name was surveyed within the township where Bear Creek crossed the Egremont.

The larger village of Watford was established to the southeast of Warwick Village when the Great Western (Ontario) Railway was established in the 1850s. Watford became an incorporated village in 1873 while parts of Warwick were removed for municipal purposes when the villages of Forest and Arkona were incorporated in the 1870s.

With municipal restructuring in 2001, Watford and Warwick were merged. While agriculture remains a mainstay the township's location between the cities of London and Sarnia means that increasingly residents find work in these larger centres. Since 2005 a group of volunteers has been actively working to research and write a detailed history of the township and collect a substantial archive of historical materials.

In addition to Warwick and Watford, the township also includes the smaller communities of Birnam and Wisbeach.

[edit] Watford

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Watford was first settled in 1851 at what was known as Brown's Corners, a stagecoach stop between the village of Warwick and Brooke Township. The Great Western Railway was built in 1856 and caused the settlement to be relocated near the tracks, in its present location. It was incorporated as the village of Watford in 1873. Watford was either named for the Watford in England, or by Col. Brown for his home town of Watford, Ireland.

Many of the current residents believe that one of the first settlers, Col. Jeffrey Neal Brown, named the village. On a journey from London to Sarnia, Brown purportedly stopped half way on his journey and said to his wife, "We should settle here and raise our family." Brown's wife responded "What for?" and Brown replied "No, Watford." Still to this day this story is told around coffee shops in this quiet little rural village.^{[citation needed]}

There was a great fire in the 1880s on November 5th that destroyed much of the town during a Guy Fawkes night (Bonfire Night) celebration.

In 1972 Watford Roof Truss started manufacturing wood trusses for delivery in the Southwestern Ontario and Southern Michigan markets. Watford Roof Truss is still a major employer in the town.