London Heritage Farm and Afternoon Tea.

Sunday July 10th.

This afternoon we all go to London Farm A heritage farm renovated to reflect life between 1890 and 1930. The 4 acre  farmstead site lies on the Dyke Road on the South Arm of the Fraser River. The original 200 acre site was purchased in 1880 by brothers 19 year old Charles and 20 year old William London. Charles married a Scottish girl, Henrietta Dalzeil, in 1888 and started building the present farmhouse.

Members of the London family lived in the farmhouse until 1948. Then it was rented out to several different families until it was bought by the City of Richmond in 1978. It underwent several years of renovation work and was eventually opened as a Heritage Attraction.

Today the Farm is hosting an Art Exhibition in the gardens but we are having Tea first. Afternoon Tea is very popular with visitors. The Bone china cups, saucers, tea plated and teapots are all mismatched from so many famous old bone china services, most of them English made. The sugar is cubed and served with old fashion sugar tongues from a silver sugar bowl  and the milk is served in a matching silver creamer. Tea consists of fresh baked lavender scones with butter and homemade jam, complimented by a plate of delicious home-baked cakes.

All the waiters and waitresses are volunteers and dresses in the style of the period. The tea room is busy today but we have pre-booked. On our last couple of visits to Canada we have been here too late in the year and the house and gardens have been closed for the season.

After our tea we take a tour of the house. The house is free to walk around but they asked for donations to help with the upkeep.

There are three reception rooms, a formal Parlour, a formal dinning room and a large ?family room where the tea room is now located.

Off the stairs and from a wide landing there are five doors, through two of the doors the rooms are set up  as bedrooms and a third as a weaving room. The other is shut to the public, but looks like a it could be a largish room. Through the fifth doorway there is a Nursery wing with wide corridor. Here there is a child's room and two other rooms, one possibly for a Nanny. An old Silver Cross coach built pram stands in the corridor along with a display of artifacts from the relevant period including a family bible.

Silver cross pram circa 19930's

Possibly the Master Bedroom

This room has a smallish cooking range built in, well smallish for a farm house of this size. I think the room would have been the kitchen. Now it is the entrance for visitors and a gift shop.

We're waiting for Nancylee who's busy with her camera and Himself who's just busy looking.

This is actually the Farm Houses front door and it leads into a wide hallway the goes through to the kitchen with the other rooms leading off it.

The boys sporting moose tee's! (or te he's)

The band stand looks a fairly new addition to the gardens. The couple playing guitar and singing performed all afternoon.

The Farm House back entrance. There's also a basement.

The herb garden.

Part of the large well kept gardens.

The Art Exhibition is held in the gardens and is from a collective of amateur local artists. There was one painting that really took my fancy and would I think have looked great in my lounge at home. BUT getting it there would have been a problem and 'Himself' fancy's an iPad. Note to self -Must get the brushes out again when we're home!

 

Weddings can be held here and today a Bride with her new husband and entourage is having their post wedding photo shoot in the grounds. They have two onlookers. Guess who!

After wandering around the house and gardens, Nancylee, (with camera) and the Boys, go and wander around the rest of the grounds including a impressive Dutch barn, out buildings, ancient farm machinery and pond. We go back and sit in the shade of the farm houses veranda.

Out from the farms gates and just across the Dyke Road flows the wide waters of the Southern  Arm of the Fraser River delta.

 

After a interesting afternoon we need  another refreshing cup of tea so we head off to Diplomat, the bakery where the make the most yummy celebration cakes, It's premises are to be found right on the edge of Steveston village.