London Road neighbourhood
London Road is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Lethbridge. It was originally surveyed in 1885– 1886 as part of the original Lethbridge town plot.
The name of the neighbourhood comes from the original street name of 7 Avenue South, “London.” Lethbridge streets and avenues were renamed to numbers in 1910.
In 1885, Lethbridge was a small mining town. It lacked local government and the nearest hospital building was a 14-patient building at the North-West Mounted Police barracks in Fort Macleod. J. D. Higginbotham reported that there were only 60 buildings in all of Lethbridge, 18 of which were saloons.
Lethbridge experienced substantial growth between 1890 and 1916, with the exception of a recession in the mid-1890s that slowed growth and development for a time. In 1906, Lethbridge was formally recognized as a city.
The development of the London Road area was influenced most by boom periods just before and after the First World War. The first two or three houses were built in the neighbourhood in 1890. That number had increased to only a few dozen houses by 1905. But between 1905 and 1911, more than 100 houses were added to just four square blocks in the area. Development slowed drastically during the First World War but construction began to boom again in 1920. By 1940, many of the lots in the neighbourhood had been developed.
Since the completion of construction in the neighbourhood, development has been primarily renovation of, and additions to, the existing residential structures, with some demolition for new development. Most of the buildings in the area continue to be separate residences, with a few buildings now dedicated to commercial ventures and a few apartment buildings. Two of these apartment buildings were constructed dating back to 1908 (612 and 614 9 St. S.) and 1910 (the Arial Apartments).
You can find out more about the history and development of the London Road neighbourhood at the Galt Museum & Archives in resources like the City of Lethbridge Land Use and Development Fonds.
Your old photos, documents, and artifacts might have historical value. Please contact Galt Museum & Archives for advice before destroying them.