| Middlesex Centre | |
|---|---|
| — Township — | |
| The Corporation of the Municipality of Middlesex Centre | |
| Motto: You're In The Right Place | |
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Middlesex Centre
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| County | Middlesex |
| Settled | |
| Formed | January 1, 1998 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipal |
| • Mayor | Al Edmondson |
| • Federal riding | Lambton—Kent—Middlesex |
| • Prov. riding | Lambton—Kent—Middlesex |
| Area[1] | |
| • Land | 588.05 km2 (227 sq mi) |
| Population (2006)[1] | |
| • Total | 15,589 |
| • Density | 26.5/km2 (68.6/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Postal Code | N0M and N0L |
| Area code(s) | 519 and 226 |
| Website | www.middlesexcentre.on.ca |
Middlesex Centre is a township in south-western Ontario, Canada. It is located to the north and west of London and is in Middlesex County. The Corporation of the Township of Middlesex Centre, formed on January 1, 1998 with the amalgamation of the former Townships of Delaware, Lobo, and London (not to be confused with the adjacent City of London).
Middlesex Centre is located exactly halfway between two of the five 'Great Lakes', It is North of Lake Erie, and directly South of the bottom of Lake Huron. Further to the east of Middlesex Centre is Lake Ontario, while to the west is the much smaller Lake St. Clair. This makes the Township of Middlesex Centre very desirable for farming due to frequent precipitation, while it also experiences higher than normal snowfall from "Lake Effect" snow in the winter creating desirable spring planting conditions (yet less desirable snow removal issues for its residents.) The same benefits that the Township receives from the precipitation of the surrounding lakes also subjects the area to severe summer weather conditions due to the convection of any of the surrounding bodies of water in the hot summer heat. Middlesex Centre is located within Canada's Tornado Alley, and suffered a hit by an F2 tornado in 1990 at Komoka. Numerous funnel clouds are spotted in the township every summer.
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The township is composed of the communities of Arva, Ballymote, Birr, Bryanston, Coldstream, Delaware, Denfield, Duncrief, Ettrick, Ilderton, Kilworth, Komoka, Littlewood, Lobo Village, Melrose, Poplar Hill, Sharon, Southgate, Telfer and Vanneck.
Arva is located at the intersection of Provincial Highway 4 (Richmond Street) and Medway Road (7th Concession). The community is the home of Medway High School, Centennial Central Public Dual Track School, Tamarak tree farm, Weldon Park, the Arva Flour Mill, a consignment store, a furniture store, a sewing store/quilting shop, a tack shop, a post office, and two churches, as well as personalities such as the current mayor of the City of London, Ontario and former Member of Parliament for London North Centre Joe Fontana. (Joe Fontana still resides in the Township of Middlesex Centre at Arva; as the City of London does not have a residency requirement currently in place for elected officials disallowing him to reside outside of the city limits while holding the mayoral office.) Arva is located on a pond (known as "the mill pond") on Medway Creek. There is also a forest known as the sanctuary (in St. John's Estates); the bush runs along the creek and goes down in to a camp site that at one time was quite popular.
In the 19th century Arva was a critical rest stop on the Underground Railroad, and home to several homes constructed as part of the Railroad.
On July 7, 2007, the The White Stripes performed a free concert at the Arva Flour Mill as part of their Canadian tour.
Birr is located at the intersection of Highway 4 (Richmond Street) and the 13th Concession. Despite its small size, Birr has maintained itself and supported various private business throughout the years. There are also currently two churches, three cemeteries, a general store called Legg's General Store, a furniture store and a book store.
Until it was replaced by a modern low-rise cement bridge in the mid-1970s, Birr had a one-lane iron bridge on the 13th Concession that crossed the Medway Creek. Birr had a hotel in the late 19th century; afternoon stagecoaches running between London and Lucan, 17 miles to the north, would stop overnight in Birr, in those days the approximate half-way point, and resume travel the next day.
Coldstream is a hamlet in Middlesex Centre with a population of approximately 350. The municipal offices for Middlesex Centre are located in Coldstream. Before it became Middlesex Centre by combining the Townships of Delaware, Lobo, and London in 1998, Coldstream was included in Lobo Township and was situated in the centre of Lobo. It is estimated that immigrants from Scotland obtained land grants and settled as early as 1820 in Lobo. Coldstream was previously known as Cutler, likely because the Cutler family operated and owned much of the town. Today Coldstream has an antique and quilt shop, elementary school (Valleyview Public School), fire hall, library, concrete business, conservation area and the Municipal Office for Middlesex Centre, as well as many volunteer organizations and events within the community.
The Friend’s Meeting House was established on Quaker Lane in 1850 and a library was organized in 1887.[2]
Much of the industry that Coldstream was founded upon has relocated to larger towns and cities such as Ilderton and London.
Delaware straddles the Thames River, and is accessed by the old highway (Highway 2) linking London and Chatham and the freeway (Highway 402) linking Sarnia along with Port Huron and Toronto. The community of Delaware was first founded in 1796. Delaware was the objective of an American raid into Upper Canada in 1814 during the War of 1812, which resulted in the Battle of Longwoods, on March 4, 1814, just about 24 km outside of Delaware.
Delaware has two elementary schools, Delaware Central Public School (The Mustangs) (Thames Valley District School Board), and Our Lady of Lourdes (The Saints) (London District Catholic School Board). They are located about one kilometre apart from one another. Delaware Central has about 175 students, while Our Lady of Lourdes has around 400.
Delaware is nestled in the Thames River Valley, although it has now expanded over the top of the valley ridge. Most of the area surrounding Delaware is made up of forests and floodplain areas. Corn, soybeans and tobacco are farmed extensively in the area around Delaware, as well as inside the town limits in some areas. Delaware has undergone modest growth in housing over the last 30 years, with the developed area nearly doubling in that time. Many of the buildings in the heart of Delaware are reputed to be over one hundred years old. These include the building that is now Delaware Variety as well as the antique shop across the street. Belvoir Manor is a private home that was at one point a seminary and a private school for boys, and at one point was destroyed by fire. The surrounding Belvoir Farms in which it is located is a prominent croquet venue for Croquet Canada.
Delaware boasts a number of tourist destinations despite its small size. Delaware Speedway is a half-mile paved race track that is one of the oldest in Canada. The track hosts stock car racing every Friday night during the summer, as well as several Saturday and Sunday race features. The track has also hosted major concert events in the past including I Mother Earth and Matthew Good. The Longwoods Road Conservation Area features Skah-Nah-Doht, a recreated Iroquoian village complete with longhouses and tours, as well as a museum featuring exhibits of Iroquoian culture and archaeological artifacts. The park hosts a yearly native festival as well as a re-enactment of the Battle of Longwoods.
Elginfield is located at the corner of Highway 4 and Highway 7, with the junction of Highway 23 just to the east. The University of Western Ontario operates an observatory near the community.
Ilderton is located along Middlesex County Road 16 (Ilderton Road) to the west of Highway 4 (Richmond Street), at the junction of Middlesex County Road 20 (Hyde Park Road). Prior to the late 1990s, the village was also accessible by railway. CN Rail had a rail line running north from Hyde Park to Clinton through the village. This rail line was abandoned from Ilderton north to Centralia in 1988, and south of Ilderton circa 1996. The portion of the former rail line south of County Road 16 has been converted to parkland.
Ilderton is home to a district fire station, a seniors apartment complex, two pub/restaurants, two variety stores, a county library, a nature trail, two pizza businesses, and three parks - one of which contains a splash pad for children. As the community is surrounded mainly by agricultural land, industry in the area is mostly farming. However Ilderton is also is home to Spencer Steel, a structural steel fabrication firm which distributes structural steel to small- to mid- sized construction sites. Notable projects include Greater Grace Temple in Detroit. Spencer Steel's assets were liquidated by Auction on December 8, 2011 with all equipment sold at the auction by Infinity Assets Solutions of Concord, Ontario. The assets must be removed from the building by Friday December 16, 2011, while the building is currently up for sale at 1.8 million dollars (CAD).
Due to Ilderton's proximity to London, many low-density subdivisions have been developed. This has led to an increase in the community's population in recent years. The population today is approximately 2000.[3]
Ilderton is the hometown of ice dancer Scott Moir,[4] who captured gold with partner Tessa Virtue at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.
Ilderton is also the hometown of Philadelphia Flyers forward #24 Matt Read.
Komoka is a crossing point for many railway lines and was formerly a railway hot spot featuring various hotels and development. Today, the Komoka Railway museum keeps the local railway history alive and features unique artifacts such as a 1913 Shay Steam Engine and a 1972 Grand Trunk Western caboose. There is an elementary school, Parkview Public School, and Providence Reformed Collegiate, a private Christian high school in the village. The village also supports a number of youth sports teams, including baseball and soccer.
Komoka is currently experiencing a population growth due to several new subdivision developments. Consequently, the elementary school's enrolment has rapidly increased resulting in substantial renovations. In 1986 a 20 unit seniors apartment building was built and named the Malott Apartments, after the Late Arthur Malott who donated all the funds for its construction. In 2009 a second 20 unit seniors apartment building was added to form the Komoka Seniors Apartments Complex. In 2011 the new Komoka Community Wellness Centre was opened and is home to the Elgin Middlesex Chiefs AAA Hockey teams. It also offers a YMCA fitness centre, walking track, two NHL size ice rinks, a library, and meeting rooms. Komoka Provincial Park with walking trails is close by, as well as Fire Rock, so named because of finding an old native fire rock on the site during the new golf course construction, Oxbow Glen Golf and Country Club and The Oaks golf courses. A Middlesex County EMS satellite ambulance station is located in the village. Komoka has the most to offer of any Middlesex Centre community.
In partnership with Delaware and Mount Brydges, the three communities rotate responsibilities of hosting Canada Day celebrations. The partnership is called "Del-Ko-Brydge". The celebrations, which has been held every year since 1981, feature a free pancake breakfast, morning parade, events and competitions throughout the day, a baseball game at night with fireworks following the game.
Kilworth Heights takes up most of the area between Komoka and London, Ontario which is south of County Road 14 (Glendon Rd) and north of Komoka Provincial Park and the Thames River.[5] It is separate from Kilworth, which lies along Glendon Rd on the east side of the Thames River and is part of London.
Although Kilworth Heights is part of Middlesex Centre, demographically most of Kilworth Heights is a commuting exurb of London. It has no independent industry, no schools, no major grocery store, no banks, and only two small commercial areas, including child care, veterinarian, restaurant, and a gas bar. All the rest of Kilworth Heights is single-unit residential. "Old" Kilworth Heights, to the east, still relies on individual wells and septic tanks. "New" Kilworth Heights, to the west, receives water and septic services from Komoka. Recent residential development in the western part of Kilworth Heights is responsible for much of Middlesex Centre's population growth.[6]
Along with Komoka, Ilderton, basically all of Middlesex Centre and London, Kilworth Heights lies along "Tornado Alley" in Canada. As such, it experiences occasional severe weather. In 1990, the Komoka Community Church, which lies halfway between Komoka and Kilworth Heights, was destroyed down to the foundation by an F2 tornado.
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Population trend:[9]
| North Middlesex | Lucan Biddulph | |||
| Adelaide Metcalfe | Thames Centre London |
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| Middlesex Centre | ||||
| Strathroy-Caradoc | Oneida 41 IR, Southwold |