Craigdarroch Castle is a beautiful historic Victorian-era mansion, built in the 1890s by wealthy BC coal baron Robert Dunsmuir, the richest man in nineteenth century British Columbia. The Castle was designed by Portland, Oregon architect, Warren H. Williams. Williams died only four months after construction began on the Castle. The responsibility for building Craigdarroch Castle was given to and successfully completed by Williams’ associate, Arthur L. Smith in 1890.
The story of the Dunsmuir family and their rise from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of wealth and power in western North America is complex and fascinating. Theirs is a story of profound courage and achievement, ultimately ending in tragedy. Robert Dunsmuir died in April 1889, more than a year before the Castle was completed. After his death, his sons, James and Alexander, assumed the melancholy task of finishing the Castle for their widowed mother, three sisters and two of her orphaned grandchildren. 10 months after Joan’s death in 1908, Craigdarroch was sold and the contents were auctioned off.
For sixty years, the Castle housed various public institutions. It was once a Military Hospital and was known as Victoria College for twenty-five years. The building is now owned and being restored by the Craigdarroch Castle Historical Museum Society.
It was a beautiful building with incredible architecture. The woodwork was crafted in Colorado for a price of $45,000 in the 1890s. I love Downton Abbey on PBS and this castle took us right back in time to the same era. The second picture is the formal dining room where the family would eat dinner. The third picture shows the family bathroom. The tile on the wall is original but the fixtures are replicas of what they would have looked like in that era. The photo of the ceiling shows the paintings that were discovered under multiple coats of white paint during the restoration process. The last two pictures are of one of the daughter's bedroom and then a display of dance cards from the ballroom.
We returned to the boat for lunch and to rest a little then went to the Royal BC Museum:
The Royal BC Museum Corporation is one of Canada’s greatest cultural treasures. The museum was founded in 1886; the Archives, in 1894. In 2003, these two organizations joined to become British Columbia’s combined provincial museum and archives, collecting artifacts, documents and specimens of British Columbia’s natural and human history, safeguarding them for the future, and sharing them with the world.
The exhibit included an amazing number of artifacts showcasing the First People history (similar to our Native American culture), Modern History, Natural History and a traveling Gold Rush exhibit. The last two pictures show an authentic 400 oz gold bar and gold medals from the Vancouver Olympics.
There have been many street performers around the marina and throughout town. Tonight I heard bagpipes and assumed they were at the Parliament building but when I went to look, I discovered they were also street performers. They were doing a great job (unlike many we saw) so I got their picture and they earned a little extra money.
As we were sitting on our boat tonight Moon came by to tell us that two young girls had an "aquarium" set up on the dock and were charging 15 cents to see it. I went down the dock to find them and they were very excited to collect my quarter and to show me their aquarium. They had some minnows and a bottom feeder in their mom's cooking pot. When I gave them the quarter they said, "We are going to get rich!" They were so cute!
No comments:
Post a Comment