This post features collectibles from London's very own Attic Books. All these - and others - are available on our second floor.* Come upstairs, take a look, and say hello.
As early as about 1861, Daniel Simmons Perrin established a bakery on Hamilton Road.** By 1881, the firm of D. S. Perrin & Co. operated on the north side of Dundas between Ridout and Talbot. Later, in 1926, the company was bought by Canada Biscuit Company. Once upon a time, this tin was filled with delicious treats.
No London bottle collection would be complete without Labatt's. Arguably, the company is nearly as old as the city itself. It was in 1827 that John Balkwill built the first brewery in the new settlement, near the southwest corner of Simcoe and Richmond streets. The company went through a number of partnerships before John Kinder Labatt assumed full ownership in 1855. The rest is history.
In 1886, William Gorman, David Dyson, and Richard Eckert formed Gorman, Dyson and Co.'s Forest City Spice Mills on Talbot Street. Later, the firm became Gorman, Eckert & Co. The company became Club House Foods in 1969.
The mug below is not an ancient artifact. I can remember eating at The Garage in the 1980s when I first arrived in London as a teenager. Who can forget the car in the dining room! The restaurant was located on King between Ridout and Talbot.
Wishing Well drinks were produced by National Dry, Ltd., at 303-309 Richmond Street near Bathurst, from the 1930s to the 1970s. The water used to make beverages came from a spring near Komoka on the Thames River, hence "Wishing Well."***
Reverse side of the above, showing all W.W.'s tempting flavours:
Hmm. Not familiar with Woodlond Beverages. The name seems to be a combination of Woodstock and London. According to
this, the company was located at 39 Metcalfe Street, Woodstock, in 1954.
This furrier was at 155 Central Avenue in the 1950s. I wonder why they used thermometers as promotional items? Perhaps when the outdoor temperature reached a certain point in spring, ladies knew it was time to store their furs?
Who wouldn't want a London Free Press ashtray? This souvenir dates to 1965, when the newspaper began operating from the York Street plant featured at centre. The building was demolished in 2024.
The top of a London Pure Milk Company bottle. The company, located at 561 Dundas, was known for its
neon cow sign.
Miniature shoes in bone china were once all the rage. This one celebrates Dundas Centre Methodist Church, built in 1895 at Dundas and Maitland streets. In 1925, it became Dundas Centre United.
A dish from the swanky Hotel London that once stood on the southeast corner of Dundas and Wellington streets. The premier place for banquets and conferences for decades, it was demolished in 1972 to make way for the City Centre building.
* The items run from $3 to $25.
** Much of the history in this post comes from Daniel J. Brock, Fragments From The Forks: London Ontario's Legacy. London & Middlesex Historical Society, 2011.
