The Toddle Inn, a decades-long mainstay of London’s Richmond Row strip, is shutting down.

The quaint diner served home-style meals to an eclectic mix of businesspeople, seniors and students for generations.

The restaurant has been a father-and-son operation since it opened in 1947.

Charles Egglestone opened the Toddle Inn in 1947 and ran it for about 30 years before his son Brian, the current proprietor, took over.

Brian Egglestone declined to comment on the closing of the establishment after 68 years.

The building at 640 Richmond St. has a long history that dates to London’s small-town days.

In the 1890s, the building housed a blacksmith shop run by William Lashbrook.

In 1924, blacksmith Richard Weir leased the shop but the Lashbrook family continued to own the building until it was sold to Charles W. Egglestone.

In its early days, the Toddle Inn featured a simple menu and a large horseshoe-shaped counter.

In later years, tables were added and the menu expanded to appeal to an older crowd. The restaurant was known for its home-style cooking, especially desserts.

The closing of the Toddle Inn leaves the Campus Hi-Fi as the oldest diner-style establishment on Richmond Row that doubles as a gateway to Western University on the campus’s east side.

The Hi-Fi opened in 1957 and has been run by Peter Kubarakos since 2008.

hank.daniszewski@sunmedia.ca

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