An Afternoon in Wonderland

On June 21, my friend Nick and I attended a concert at Springbank Gardens, where a variety of free jazz, R&B, country, and blues performances are being held this summer. The swing band we enjoyed, Ron Gilbert & The Music Makers, was excellent, playing a variety of big band hits. The music was appropriate for the occasion, a celebration of Wonderland's history.

Ron Gilbert & The Music Makers. Vocalist Gillian Laidlaw at left.

Yes, this was "Wonderland," founded in the big band era, back in 1935. It was on May 24th of that year that Charles and Wilf Jones first opened Wonderland Summer Gardens, the music that night provided by Mickey McDougall and his orchestra. The building had cost a whopping $18,000 to construct.* 

1940s postcard from Photogelatine Engraving Co., Toronto. While there are no humans in this view, a dog is stretched out in the right foreground! Author's collection.

The Jones family operated Wonderland right into the 21st century. The music changed, of course; acts included Alice Cooper, Frank Zappa, Deep Purple, and Emerson, Lake and Palmer. And it wasn't just a concert venue; it could be rented for gala occasions like my high school graduation. Yes, a teenage Jenny partied here, along with the rest of Westminster's Class of '89.  

Something happened in 2004, and I'm not clear what. After reading online articles, I suspect that the City of London wanted a bigger rent increase than long-time operator Chuck Jones could afford. It also sounds like the city considered updates were necessary if Wonderland was going to remain a competitive top-tier music venue. 

As so often happens with London's historic buildings, part of the complex burned down in 2005. It was redeveloped as Springbank Gardens in 2008 with an open-air pavilion beside the original outdoor bandshell. 

Now there's a long-overdue historic plaque on the nearby river path. It was unveiled just before Sunday afternoon's concert to much applause and a brief speech by Mayor Josh Morgan. Chuck and Don Jones, second-generation operators, were there to tell weepy-eyed stories about the good old days. 

For my friend Nick, the occasion was personal. His dad, Harold, played the drums in the Mickey McDougall band. Nick was taken to concerts by his father when he was only about four years old and tried to stay awake while the band played. All the girls thought he was a cutie.

Nick points at his dad in the photo of the Mickey McDougall Orchestra on the new Wonderland Gardens historical plaque. The plaque has been added by the City of London and the London Public Library Historic Sites Committee.

While it's sad that the original building was destroyed, it's great that "Wonderland" is still used for concerts, 91 years after the 1935 grand opening. 

Some other interesting facts:

The Guy Lombardo Museum opened nearby on May 19, 1984, for $90,000. This little museum closed in September 2007, due to poor attendance. Why? Perhaps a younger generation had forgotten London-born Guy Lombardo. Or perhaps the museum was mismanaged by an eccentric curator. 

Wonderland Road was named after Wonderland Gardens, not the other way around. The road started in the 1950s as a gravel driveway leading into the Gardens from Springbank Drive. When the nearby Guy Lombardo Bridge was built in 1978, it was dismissed as "the bridge to nowhere,** since all it did was connect Wonderland to the former Hutton Side Road. The result has become London's busiest north-south artery.

Londoners often think Guy Lombardo and The Royal Canadians played at Wonderland Gardens all the time. Actually, they only played at the Gardens twice, more than 30 years after they became famous.***

One of the attractions at Wonderland was a huge "Hollywood-style" outdoor swimming pool with sloping sides. The change rooms were old streetcars. **** Neighbourhood children could get a season pass for $5. ***** Sadly, by the time I arrived in London in the 1980s, the pool was abandoned, weeds growing through its cracks. Just another part of Wonderland's heyday that I missed. 

*Dan Brock, Fragments From The Forks. London, Ontario: London & Middlesex Historical Society, 2011, p, 233.

** Michael Baker & Hilary Bates Neary, eds., London Street Names. Toronto: James Lorimer & Co., 2026, p. 145.

*** Above, p. 146.

**** According to the new historical plaque.

***** Chuck Jones, speech, Wonderland Gardens, June 21, 2026.

Attic Books Turns 50!

My workplace just turned 50!

Yes, Attic Books, and its owner, Marvin Post, have been in business for 50 years. It was June 23, 1976, that Marvin established a used book shop on the second floor of the Premier Trust Building on Richmond Street. Customers had to climb the stairs to the "attic" - hence the name. After moving to Clarence Street and spending a 10-year stint in Parkhill, Marvin reestablished his business on Dundas Street, west of Wellington, in 1996. It's hard to believe he's been at 240 Dundas Street for 30 years now.*

Looking north on Clarence Street from King Street in the 1980s. Note the Attic Books sign on the building at right. The building many of us still call "Bud Gowan's" is across the street on the left.

240 Dundas Street is, of course, much older than Attic Books, being one of downtown London's late-Victorian red-brick commercial buildings. I've noticed yellow brick in the basement, but whether it's from an earlier structure or the builder used cheaper brick in a place no one would see, I can't say. The first structure was only one storey high and about 20 ft. long. 

An early map shows 240 Dundas Street before its rear was extended. The words "Hall Above" refer to Somerset Hall, home of the London Temperance League. Note that Clarence Street was once known as Park Avenue, since it led to Victoria Park.

240 Dundas before its rear extension was built. George Anderson and Mungo Nelles opened their drug store here in 1891. Pity no one saved those gorgeous glass display cases or wooden shelving.

The second and third floors were added in the 1880s. But a bigger renovation took place in 1909 when the rear was extended - massively - by London architect J. M. Moore.** Arts and Crafts elements were added to the facade, making it look a little different from those nearby. An elevator, made by Roelofsen Machine and Tool Co. of Galt, was installed. It still works. Most days. 

Large windows were installed in 1930 by McPhillips & Co., sellers of pianos, radios, and appliances. The original outer windows pivoted like doors, so that pianos could be hoisted to the upper floors for display. The newer replacements still allow lots of light into the upper storeys. 

A Free Press article from 1930 records the grand opening of W. McPhillips Ltd., highlighting the "striking effects" of its new windows. 

Marvin did a little renovating himself over the years, removing 35 lbs. of lead paint from inside the elevator, some wooden toilet tanks, and, most recently, the radiators associated with steam heating. But the store still has tin ceilings, hardwood floors, and a feeling of yesteryear. 

Roberts Holmes used 240 Dundas from 1965 to 1995, selling stationery as well as books. Many people will remember these paper exercise book covers, among other back-to-school supplies.

So why does Attic stay in business when other used bookstores close? Without revealing our business secrets or giving the competition any hints, it has to do with efficient inventory management, diverse revenue streams, and global sales through our website. 

Then there's Marvin, of course. As an entrepreneur, he has an eye for what will sell. And it's not all books. We also have a variety of unusual antiques, maps, prints, cameras, photos, bookends, postcards, pins and buttons, and general oddities. After 50 years, Marvin knows what intrigues customers. A visit to Attic is often like visiting a museum with the added bonus that the artifacts are for sale. 

I love this five-star review a shopper left on Google eight years ago: "Owner is a genuine and authentic bespectacled character with a sage, owlish gaze that is just as likely contemplating eternity as he might be you. One feels their IQ increased by walking into the store, conversing with the staff and being in close vicinity to the owner's aura." 

So there you go. Marvin - and his store - have an aura. And you can't find those just anywhere. 

* For the record, I've only been at Attic for 17 years. How time flies.

** John Mackenzie Moore is the same architect who designed Hotel London, London Life (now Canada Life) and University College at Western. He was also mayor from 1926 to 27.