Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, born in Southampton, Hamp- shire, England and died in Kensington, London. Robin- wood Crescent evokes the image of Robin Wood, near the outskirts of Derby, where one can imagine Robinhood having a lair. Springbank Park was most certainly born from the many similarly named greenspa- ces found scattered across England: Springbank Park in Trafford, Springbank Pa- vilion in Newcastle, or possi-
Mirror, Mirror: British Influences on Byron There is no question that, in 1793, John Graves Simcoe, the first lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada, had his homeland in mind when he named the site that would become London, Ontario, and the waterway that ran through it the Thames River. The similarities between London, Ontario, and its larger and older predecessor, London, England, cannot be lost on those living here or those passing through. Covent Garden Market, Victoria Park, Hyde Park, and Oxford Street are just a few ways the Canadian version heralds its namesake across the Big Pond. The many communities annexed over time to form London, Ontario, are also as steeped in British influence, revealing many parallels to the homeland of its earlier inhabitants, and Bryon is no exception.
bly Springbank Park, the patch of green in the heart of Hes- ter’s Way estate on the northwestern edge of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. While at our Springbank Park, it’s hard to miss the obvious London references when wandering through Storybook Gardens and spying a scaled-down version of London’s Tower Bridge.
The area we know and love as Byron was first known as Westminster, a settlement in Middlesex County, separate from London. In England, the area around the royal palace and Britain’s parliament was also known as Westminster and located in the County of Middlesex. England’s and Ontario’s West - minsters were eventually absorbed into the cities of London, respectively. Ontario’s Westminster settlement, howev - er, changed names twice before becoming part of London. First known as Hall’s Mills, it became Byron in 1857. While the source of Byron’s naming remains shrouded in mystery, it clearly has English roots with its obvious match to the celebrated poet, Lord Byron. Byron’s Blake Street reminds us of another English poet, painter, and printmaker, William Blake, who was also a key figure in poetry and visual art during England’s Romantic Age. Byron’s Bramblewood Street mirrors Bramble Wood, southeast of London, En- gland, near Maidstone. Jellicoe Crescent summons the image of John Rushworth
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Byron Villager
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