Rockland, Greater Victoria

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Coordinates: 48°25′N 123°20′W / 48.417°N 123.333°W / 48.417; -123.333
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

External links

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

48°25′N 123°20′W / 48.417°N 123.333°W / 48.417; -123.333

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