Rockland, Greater Victoria

Last updated
Craigdarroch Castle on 11 June 2005 Craigdarroch Castle 1.jpg
Craigdarroch Castle on 11 June 2005

Rockland is a historic neighbourhood of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, located just southeast of downtown and northeast of Beacon Hill Park, and comprising the northern portion of the official city neighbourhood of Fairfield. Its boundaries are imprecise but the area roughly flanks Rockland Avenue.

Contents

The neighbourhood was founded as, and remains, one of the tonier neighbourhoods in the city, and contains a notable concentration of opulent houses and heritage architecture and lush gardenscapes. The two largest, and most famous, of Rockland's residences are Craigdarroch Castle, built by the Dunsmuir fortune, and Government House.

History

The area known today as Rockland was originally divided between the land grants taken up by James Douglas, second governor of the Colony of Vancouver Island and Joseph Despard Pemberton. As early as 1860 Cary Castle was built on a high point in Rockland with extensive views south to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Cary Castle was used as residence by Arthur Kennedy, governor of Vancouver Island and served as the vice-regal residence for the Lieutenant-Governors of British Columbia when the Province entered Confederation in 1871. [1] The original Cary Castle was destroyed by fire in 1903, but was replaced by another grand mansion designed by architects Samuel Maclure, designer of many of Victoria's grandest homes, and Francis Rattenbury, architect of the British Columbia Parliament Buildings. This building was in turn destroyed by fire in 1957, and was replaced by the present building that serves as Government House.

Cary Castle, British Columbia's first Government House Carey Castle.jpg
Cary Castle, British Columbia's first Government House

In the late Victorian period additional grand homes were constructed along Belcher Avenue, as Rockland Avenue was then known, including Duvals, constructed in 1862 and occupied by Joseph Needham, then Chief Justice of the Colony of Vancouver Island and later of Trinidad, before being sold to Francis Jones Barnard who operated a freighting company and stage coach line to the Cariboo and was later a member of the House of Commons of Canada (his son Francis Stillman Barnard was later Lieutenant-Governor). [2] Gonzales, the home of Joseph Pemberton, was built in 1885 near the corner of Rockland and St. Charles Street. [3] Fairholme, the home of John Chapman Davie and his wife Sara Holmes Todd, was built in 1886 on Rockland Hill. [4] Gyppeswyk, built in 1889 for the Greens who, like many of Rockland's early residents, relocated from the once fashionable James Bay neighbourhood to take up residence in Rockland, served briefly as the residence of the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia after a fire destroyed Cary Castle. Located on Moss Street, Gyppeswyk forms today the nucleus of the Greater Victoria Art Gallery. Another home built in 1889 was The Laurels, which was later used as a boys' school, the gymnasium of which continues in use as the Langham Court Theatre. [5] Further along Rockland Avenue stands the Rattenbury-designed residence built in 1900 for Lyman Duff, who became Chief Justice of Canada and his wife Elizabeth.

The most costly residence built in Rockland during the Victorian era was Craigdarroch Castle. Craigdarroch Castle was constructed in the 1890s as a family residence for the wealthy coal baron Robert Dunsmuir and his wife Joan. Robert died in April 1889, more than a year before construction on the castle was completed, and was set on 27 acres (110,000 m2) of grounds with an entrance on Fort Street. His sons Alexander and James took over the role of finishing the castle after his death. The initial architect of the castle, Warren Williams, also died before completion of the castle. His work was taken over by his associate, Arthur L. Smith, in 1890. After the death of Joan Dunsmuir the castle was raffled off, served as a convalescent home for soldiers during the First World War, then as Victoria College, the forerunner to the University of Victoria from 1920 to 1946. [6]

Apart from Government House itself, there are relatively few public buildings of any type in Rockland. At the beginning of Rockland Avenue on the edge of Downtown Victoria stands Christ Church Cathedral, begun in the 1890s with construction extending to 1990. Built in a Gothic style reminiscent of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and Durham Cathedral, Christ Church is the cathedral church of the diocese of British Columbia. [7] The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria on Moss Street is the only other significant public institution in the area.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria, British Columbia</span> Capital city of British Columbia, Canada

Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. The city of Victoria is the 7th most densely populated city in Canada with 4,405.8 inhabitants per square kilometre (11,411/sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Dunsmuir</span> British Columbian industrialist and politician (1851–1920)

James Dunsmuir was a Canadian industrialist and politician in British Columbia. He served as the 14th premier of British Columbia from 1900 to 1902 and the eight lieutenant governor of British Columbia from 1906 to 1909.

Island Rail Corridor Railway operation in Vancouver Island

The Island Rail Corridor, previously the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway, is a railway operation on Vancouver Island and is the only remaining railway on Vancouver Island after the closure of the Englewood Railway in November 2017. The Island Corridor Foundation owns the former Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway corridor. The railway line is 225 kilometres (140 mi) in length from Victoria to Courtenay, known as the Victoria Subdivision, with a branch line from Parksville to Port Alberni known as the Port Alberni Subdivision at 64 kilometres (40 mi) in length, for a total 289 kilometres (180 mi) of mainline track. In 2006, the Island Corridor Foundation acquired the railway's ownership from the Canadian Pacific Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fernwood, Greater Victoria</span>

Fernwood is a neighbourhood near downtown Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, bounded by the neighbourhoods of North/South Jubilee, North Park, Fairfield, Rockland, Hillside-Quadra, Oaklands and Harris Green.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government House (British Columbia)</span> Building in Victoria, British Columbia

Government House of British Columbia is the official residence of the lieutenant governor of British Columbia, as well as that in Victoria of the Canadian monarch, and has casually been described as "the Ceremonial Home of all British Columbians." It stands in the provincial capital on a 14.6 hectares estate at 1401 Rockland Avenue; while the equivalent building in many countries has a prominent, central place in the capital, the site of British Columbia's Government House is relatively unobtrusive within Victoria, giving it more the character of a private home.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oak Bay, British Columbia</span> District municipality in British Columbia, Canada

Oak Bay is a municipality incorporated in 1906 that is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is one of thirteen member municipalities of the Capital Regional District, and is bordered to the west by the city of Victoria and to the north by the district of Saanich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ross Bay Cemetery</span> Pictures of graves

Ross Bay Cemetery is located at 1516 Fairfield Road in Victoria, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island, Canada. Many historical figures from the early days of the province and colony of British Columbia are buried at Ross Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Croft</span> Lumber and mining magnate

Henry Croft was an Australian-born lumber and mining magnate on Vancouver Island from the 1880s to 1900s. Born in Australia, Croft moved to England at a young age and was educated there. He moved to Canada in 1883 and became involved in logging, purchasing the sawmill in Chemainus. Croft rose in prominence through his running of the mill, and further enhanced his standing by marrying a daughter of Robert Dunsmuir, a prominent industrialist on Vancouver Island. Croft was elected to the British Columbia Legislature in 1886, representing Cowichan, serving until 1894. He later became involved in mining on Mount Sicker, and founded the town of Crofton, British Columbia in 1902 as a place to house the smelter for mining. Croft is featured on the Netflix series Haunted wherein a family claims to have been haunted by his ghost.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Rattenbury</span> Canadian architect

Francis Mawson Rattenbury was a British architect although most of his career was spent in British Columbia, Canada, where he designed the province's legislative building among other public commissions. Divorced amid scandal, he was murdered in England at the age of 67 by his second wife's lover.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Dunsmuir</span> Canadian businessman and politician

Robert Dunsmuir was a Scottish-Canadian coal mine developer, owner and operator, railway developer, industrialist and politician in British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Columbia Parliament Buildings</span> Building in British Columbia, Canada

The British Columbia Parliament Buildings are located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and are home to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art Gallery of Greater Victoria</span> Art museum in Victoria, Canada

The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (AGGV) is an art museum located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Situated in Rockland, Victoria, the museum occupies a 2,474.5 square metres (26,635 sq ft) building complex; made up of the Spencer Mansion, and the Exhibition Galleries. The former building component was built in 1889, while the latter component was erected in the mid-20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenlyon Norfolk School</span> Independent, co-ed, day school in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Glenlyon Norfolk School (GNS) is an independent, co-ed, university preparatory day school in Victoria and Oak Bay, British Columbia, Canada. It was formed in 1986 with the amalgamation of Glenlyon School and Norfolk House. The school offers instruction from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12. The school offers the International Baccalaureate at all three levels: the Primary Years Programme, Middle Years Programme and, at the high school level, offers the IB Diploma Programme. Of the 2,124 schools that participate in the IB programme in North America and the Caribbean, Glenlyon Norfolk School is one of only 25 schools to offer the programme at all three levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craigdarroch Castle</span> Historic house museum in British Columbia, Canada

Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, is a historic, Victorian-era Scottish Baronial mansion. It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada due to its landmark status in Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hatley Park National Historic Site</span> University Museum, Historic House Museum in in Greater Victoria, British Columbia Canada

Hatley Park National Historic Site is located in Colwood, British Columbia, in Greater Victoria. It is the site of Hatley Castle, a Classified Federal Heritage Building. Since 1995, the mansion and estate have been used for the public Royal Roads University. From the 1940s to 1995, it was used for the Royal Roads Military College, a naval training facility.

Fairfield is a neighbourhood of Victoria, British Columbia. It is bounded by the James Bay, Downtown, Harris Green, Fernwood, Rockland, and Gonzales neighbourhoods, and meets the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Bay, Greater Victoria</span>

James Bay is a high density neighbourhood of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is the oldest residential neighbourhood on the West coast of North America that is north of San Francisco. James Bay occupies the south side of the Inner Harbour close to downtown. Access to the neighbourhood is along Belleville Street, Government Street, Douglas Street and Dallas Road.

Samuel Maclure was a Canadian architect in British Columbia, Canada, from 1890 to 1920. He was born on 11 April 1860 in Sapperton, New Westminster, British Columbia, to John and Martha Maclure. He studied painting at the Spring Garden Institute in Philadelphia from 1884 to 1885, and he was a self-taught architect. He married Margaret Catherine (Daisy) Simpson, an accomplished pianist and portrait painter, on 10 August 1889.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria West, Greater Victoria</span>

Victoria West, commonly called Vic West, is an historic neighbourhood of the city of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, located just west of downtown across Victoria Harbour, bordering on the Township of Esquimalt.

References

  1. ↑ Martin Segger and Douglas Franklin, Victoria: A Primer for Regional History in Architecture, Victoria: Heritage Architectural Guides, p. 277
  2. ↑ Segger and Franklin, p. 283
  3. ↑ Terry Reksten, More English than the English, Victoria: Orca Book Publishers, 1986, p. 87
  4. ↑ Green, Valerie. "If These Walls Could Talk: Victoria's Houses from the Past". TouchWood Editions, 2001, p. 29
  5. ↑ Segger and Franklin, p. 269
  6. ↑ Segger and Franklin, p. 287
  7. ↑ Segger and Franklin, p. 217

Rockland Neighbourhood Association website http://www.rockland.bc.ca/

Coordinates: 48°25′N123°20′W / 48.417°N 123.333°W / 48.417; -123.333

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.