Hatley Park National Historic Site facts for kids
 |
|
| Location | Royal Roads University (formerly the Royal Roads Military College) in Colwood, British Columbia, Canada |
|---|---|
| Type | University Museum Historic House Museum |
| Owner | Dohme Family |
Hatley Park National Historic Site is a beautiful place in Colwood, British Columbia, near Victoria. It's famous for Hatley Castle, a grand old building. Today, it's home to Royal Roads University, a public university. Before that, from the 1940s to 1995, it was a special training school for the navy called the Royal Roads Military College.
The huge grounds of Hatley Park have amazing formal gardens, old farmlands, and walking trails. You can explore forests with tall, old trees like Douglas fir and western red cedar.
Contents
History of Hatley Park
Hatley Castle and Gardens Begin
In 1906, a man named James Dunsmuir, who was from Scotland and was British Columbia's Lieutenant Governor, bought this land. He and his wife, Laura, hired a famous architect named Samuel Maclure to build a huge 40-room mansion. It was built in a style called Scottish baronial style, which was popular back then.
The Dunsmuirs also created many beautiful formal gardens. They worked with well-known American garden designers, Franklin Brett and George D. Hall. The Dunsmuirs named their estate "Hatley Park," just like grand estates in Britain and Europe. The castle was a family home until 1937, after the Great Depression.
After Laura Dunsmuir passed away in 1937, the estate was sold to the Government of Canada in 1939. The government sold some of the land. In June 1939, all the furniture and items inside the mansion were sold in a big public auction.
A special plaque from the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada says:
Hatley Park. This amazing example of an Edwardian park was created for James and Laura Dunsmuir in the early 1900s. At its center is a Tudor Revival mansion, with its beautiful design and fine details. The grounds have many different plants, from formal gardens to fun areas, farms, and forests. The Canadian armed forces bought it in 1940. Hatley Park changed to fit the needs of Royal Roads Military College, but it still kept its original Edwardian look.
In 2008, Hatley Castle celebrated its 100th birthday!
A Possible Royal Home
When Second World War started, there were secret plans in case Britain was invaded. King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, and their daughters, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, might have moved to Canada. While their main choices were homes in England, Victoria, British Columbia, was a backup plan if German troops got too close.
The Canadian government bought Hatley Castle in 1940 to be a royal residence for the King. However, the royal family and the British government decided it was best for them to stay in the UK during the war. The King and Queen stayed in London, and the Princesses stayed at Windsor Castle.
Royal Roads Military College
The Canadian government changed the mansion into a training center for the navy. From 1948, it was known as the Royal Roads Military College. It was named after the Royal Roads body of water nearby. The military college closed in 1995.
In September 1995, Royal Roads University opened as a public university. It uses the campus from the Department of National Defence for a very small fee each year. The university takes care of the entire site, including its history, nature, and educating the public about it.
Hatley Gardens
In 1912, the Dunsmuirs hired American landscape architects Franklin Brett and George D. Hall to design the entire property. They created a classic plan for an Edwardian park. The plan divided the estate into four main areas: fancy 'garden rooms' near Hatley Castle, then areas for fun and games, then farmlands, and finally the forest around the estate.
During the Dunsmuir family's time, about 100 gardeners worked to keep the estate beautiful! Even when it was the Royal Roads Military College, about 50 gardeners worked there, showing how important it was to keep the estate looking good.
The gardens are on southern Vancouver Island and have great views of the Olympic mountains in the USA. The estate is about 565 acres (2.29 km2) and is also a popular place for weddings. Today, Royal Roads University has a smaller team of gardeners, but they work hard to keep the most important areas, like the Japanese, Rose, and Italian gardens, looking amazing.
Garden Admission Fees
In 2006, the university started charging a small fee to visit the main heritage gardens. This was to help pay for the costs of keeping the historic site in good condition. There was some discussion about the fees, but they helped cover some of the yearly maintenance costs. As of 2019, the gardens are free to visit for everyone!
Hatley Park in Movies and TV
Hatley Park and its castle have been used in many movies and TV shows for over 80 years! You might have seen it without even knowing!
- In the TV show Smallville, Hatley Castle is shown as Luthor Mansion, the home of Lex Luthor.
- It has been used as Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters in the X-Men film series, starting with X2: X-Men United (2003) and including X-Men: The Last Stand, Deadpool, and Deadpool 2.
- The castle is the home of Hubert, the dog in the movie The Duke.
- It was used in the 1997 film Masterminds as a private school.
- You can see it in the MacGyver TV series in an episode called "The Legend of the Holy Rose, part 2."
- In the TV series Seven Days, the castle is used as a home for a royal family and a wedding location.
- In Poltergeist: The Legacy, Hatley Castle was the main office for the San Francisco legacy group.
- Many scenes from Fierce People (2004) were filmed inside and outside the castle.
- The ending scenes of The Changeling (1979) were filmed inside Hatley Castle.
- Big Time Movie, based on the TV series Big Time Rush, filmed some parts of the movie here.
- In the TV show Arrow, it's shown as Queen Mansion, the home of Oliver Queen.
- It's featured in the TV series Witches of East End as the Gardiner family home.
- In The Killing TV series, it's St. George's military academy.
- It's used as Auradon Prep, the school for children of Disney fairy tale characters, in the Disney movies Descendants (2015), Descendants 2 (2017), and Descendants 3 (2019).
- It appears in the TV series The Dead Zone.
- In the Fox TV series Bones, it's shown as the Magic Palace.
- It was featured in the 2018 film The Professor.
- It hosted the starting line for The Amazing Race Canada 6.
- The staircase is shown in the CW TV series Supernatural in an episode called Advanced Thanatology.
- The outside of the castle was used as a fancy hotel in the 1992 film Knight Moves.
Buildings at Hatley Park
Hatley Park has several important buildings, some of which are recognized as special heritage buildings by the Canadian government.
- Hatley Castle (built 1908): This is the main building and the administrative center for Royal Roads University. It was once a dormitory and dining hall for military cadets. It's a "Classified Federal Heritage Building," meaning it's very important to Canada's history.
- Cedar Building (built 1912–1916): This building was originally a dairy and cattle barn in the Tudor style. It was later changed into classrooms and labs for science. Today, it has offices for the university's IT Services.
- Grant Building (built 1942): This is a main academic building with classrooms, labs, and offices. It's named after Captain John Moreau Grant, the first Commanding Officer of HMCS Royal Roads.
- Gymnasium - sports complex (built 1942): This building has a gym, weight room, fitness studio, and squash courts. There are also outdoor tennis courts.
- Sherman Jen Building (Stable / Garage) (built 1914): This used to be James Dunsmuir's stables and garage. Later, it became classrooms and a social center. It was recently renovated and renamed to honor Dr. Sherman Jen, who made a large donation to the university.
- Nixon Block (built 1954 to 1956): This building has classrooms and dormitories. It's named after a former Commanding Officer, Nixon, of the Royal Naval College of Canada.
- Swimming Pool (built 1959): This is a two-story concrete building with a swimming pool.
See also
In Spanish: Castillo Hatley para niños
- Hatley Park, Greater Victoria
