London Doorways Research Project

In an increasingly connected and global world, we want to celebrate what makes our community unique.

Standing on the shoulders of our predecessors, Herb Craig and Julia Beck, we are working to further identify, research, and document a unique doorway we call a “London Doorway”. This triple-arched doorway is only found in London and the surrounding area in southwestern Ontario, Canada.

This is an initiative of ACO London Region, a branch of Architectural Conservancy Ontario.

Herb Craig (1919-1997)

Born 1919 in Ottawa, Ontario

Married in England to Jean in 1943

Lived in London, Ontario late 70s to late 90s

Worked at Wesminster Hospital as architectural designer

Died 1997

Buried in Ottawa

Julia Beck (1928-2012)

  • Julia Beck with a London doorway in 2012.
    (Credit: The London Free Press)
  • Julia Beck with the heritage plaque on her home.

One of ACO London’s early members, Julia Beck worked on the City of London’s original Inventory of Heritage Resources and served as chair of the City’s Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee. She organized many early Geranium Heritage House Tours and co-edited two ACO London publications: Brackets and Bargeboards and Heritage Highlights of the Geranium Heritage House Tours. She served as branch president 1985-86 and provincial president from 1992 to 1994. Julia was a driving force in the successful campaign to save and restore the Red Antiquities building in SoHo.

An accomplished scientific scholar, she studied at University of Cambridge and Western University and used her skills to research our area’s distinctive triple-arched London Doorways, published as an ACO London book in 2014.

“[Architectural heritage] enriches, enlarges, and intrigues people,” she said during a 2009 interview with Ian Gillespie of The London Free Press. “Nobody would think of throwing out a 100-year painting, so why do they want to demolish a 100-year-old building?”

Julia received many citations: 2007 Lieutenant-Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award, 2009 provincial ACO Heritage Award, Ontario Heritage Foundation Award, 1990 Mayor’s Honour List, and 2009 ACO London – HLF Heritage Award.