In an era of steel and glass towers, the graceful and distinctive structures of Victorian Ontario which survive are a pleasing and a valuable link with the past. Some of the finest examples of these buildings can still be found in London, Ontario, and the surrounding towns and villages.

Beginning with a discussion of the area's history, Nancy Tausky and Lynne DiStefano explore the work of the most prominent architectural firm in Victorian London -- Robinson, Tracy, Durand and Moore -- and its role in the development of southwestern Ontario. From their focus on specific architects emerges a broader picture of the factors that typically shaped Victorian towns. They consider the various theories and movements that were given expression in Victorian building design, the social influences on the period's architecture, the evolution of building technology, and the state of the architectural profession in general during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

At the heart of the book, of course, are the buildings. Churches, banks, schools, courthouses, stores, and all manner of public buildings, as well as private homes are represented. Extensively illustrated, the book includes old photographs, reproductions of drawings and plans, and contemporary photographs of buildings which still stand, taken specially for this volume by Ian MacEachern.

Published in conjunction with a 1986 exhibition which was presented at the London Regional Art Gallery and then toured Canada, this volume records an elegant chapter in our architectural history, an irreplaceable part of our heritage.

NANCY ZWART TAUSKY teaches English at the University of Western Ontario and is the London correspondent for the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario.

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LYNNE DELEHANTY DISTEFANO teaches architectural history at Brescia College, University of Western Ontario, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Ontario Heritage Foundation.

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Ian MacEachern worked as a TV cameraman in Sydney and Moncton before moving to Saint John in 1962 to work for CHSJ-TV. Prompted by several fires and impending urban renewal, he began taking photographs that documented the changing face of the city in the mid-1960s.

MacEachern later worked as a freelance magazine and industrial photojournalist and taught photography at H.B. Beal Secondary School, Fanshawe Community College, and the University of Western Ontario. MacEachern's photographs have appeared in numerous publications, including artscanada, Chatelaine, and Maclean's, and have been exhibited throughout Canada and the United States. His work is included in the permanent collection of the McIntosh Gallery at the University of Western Ontario and in several private collections. He lives in London, Ontario.

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