I’ve been meaning to blog about my visit to the London Heritage Farm in Steveston since summer 2012! Since I’ve been blogging about afternoon tea lately, I thought I’d continue with one of my favourite places in the Greater Vancouver Area (GVA).
The entrance of the London Heritage Farm
Afternoon Tea
My friend and fellow-Oncer, Tess, whom I had mentioned in my previous post, had told me about this charming place where we could enjoy afternoon tea in July/August 2012. We were seated by the window in the Tea Room, which was a large room that may have been a living and/or dining room in the past. It was naturally bright, something I enjoyed as most tea salons rely on electric light fixtures to keep a room lit.
Tea for Two
Menu
- London Lady Tea
- Scones (we had lavender!)
- London Farm jam/jelly and butter
- 3 dessert goodies
My favourite item from the menu was the lavender scones. They were fresh from the oven and the butter melted as soon as I’d spread it on We ended up ordering more scones because they were very delicious; in fact, the best I’ve had. Unfortunately, I don’t remember what the tea was like but since I’ve always been a tea-drinker, I’m certain I liked it. 🙂 According to the photo of the tea sachet on the website, it was a light aromatic tea.
The piano in the tea room (was it once a living/dining room?)
If I remember correctly, the volunteer staff members dressed as the servers (or servants or ‘downstairs staff’) would have in the late 1800’s with white frilly aprons and suit jackets. I thought that made the house all the more charming. 🙂
Address: 6511 Dyke Road, Richmond
Phone: 604-271-5220
Hours: Sa-Su 12-5pm
Cost: Tea for 2 $25
History of the Farmhouse
The main house
This heritage site is an 1890’s farmhouse that has been restored and furnished to reflect life during the 1880’s to 1930/40’s. It was bought by the City of Richmond in 1978 but run by the London Heritage Farm Society.
In 1880, two brothers, Charles (aged 19) and William (aged 20) London of Ontario, purchased 200 acres of land for $2000. (By the way, LHF now occupies 4.06 acres of land.) Eight years later, Charles married Henrietta from Scotland and started building the farmhouse, which took around a decade to complete. The Londons lived in the house with their five children (they also had three children who died in infancy) until 1919, when they decided to sell the farmhouse and move to Marpole. The eldest daughter, Lucy, must have missed her childhood home because she and her husband bought back the house in 1921 and raised their family there until 1948. For the next three decades, it became a rental home for many families (not at the same time).
The Museum (Gallery)
The rooms on the main and top floors are part of the society’s museum. As mentioned earlier, the ‘contents’ (i.e. furniture, clothing, and other objects) inside the farmhouse range from the Victorian era to the 1930/40’s.
The Grounds (Gallery)
As we were running out of time, we didn’t spend too much time on the grounds. I believe we skipped the garden. My favourite part was this gazebo:
Every home ought to come with a gazebo
If you haven’t had the chance to visit the London Heritage Farm, I highly recommend you do. It is a little out-of-the-way if you’re relying on transit but the visit is worthwhile. Be sure to take a look at the calendar online to see if there are any special events for you to enjoy. 🙂
The Lady and the Rose 
ah, yet another destination to visit when I finally get up to VC to visit you! It makes me wonder what I’d show you should you ever come here to visit…