Ross Bay Villa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ross Bay Villa |
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Ross Bay Villa, south façade
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| Type | Historic House Museum |
| Location | 1490 Fairfield Road Victoria, British Columbia V8S 1E8 |
| Built | 1865 |
| Architect | John Wright, likely |
| Architectural style(s) | Gothic Revival |
| Owner | Ross Bay Villa Society |
The Ross Bay Villa is a special historic house in Victoria, British Columbia. It's now a museum where you can learn about life long ago. The house was built way back in 1865. It's one of the very few homes in Victoria that are still standing from before 1870! Today, the Ross Bay Villa Society owns and takes care of this important building.
When it was first built, the house was quite far from the main town of Victoria. It was surrounded by nature, farms, and even swamps. The first people to live there were Francis James Roscoe and his wife, Anna Letitia Roscoe. It's believed that John Wright, a famous architect from that time, designed the house. He was known for building in the popular Gothic Revival architecture style, which gives the Villa its unique look.
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What Makes the Villa Special?
The Ross Bay Villa has some cool features that show its Gothic Revival style. These include the front porch with its fancy columns and a special three-leaf shape called a trefoil. You can also see decorative points on the roof peaks and special carvings around the windows.
Inside the Historic House
From the outside, the house might look small, but it's actually quite big! It has about 1,650 square feet, all on one floor. The main rooms have very tall ceilings, about 12 feet high. The kitchen at the back is a bit smaller.
Some other interesting parts of the house include:
- A unique chimney design.
- A front bay window that sticks out with a sloped roof.
- A front door with glass panels on the sides and above, which used to look like wood.
- A roof with two ridges, which is unusual.
- Windows with six small panes of glass on the top and six on the bottom.
- An original fireplace made of cast-iron.
- A mantelpiece that looks like marble.
- A decorative plaster design on the ceiling.
The Villa's Story Over Time
In 1869, Sir James Douglas (governor), who used to be the governor of British Columbia, wrote about the house. He called it "a pretty cottage, half-buried in roses and honeysuckle." Over the years, many different families lived in the Villa. In 1912, the large property was divided into smaller lots, but the house was lucky enough to keep two of them.
By the late 1980s, the house needed a lot of repairs. In 1998, there was a plan to tear it down and build new homes. But people who cared about history stepped in! They encouraged a group called The Land Conservancy of British Columbia to buy the house. Their goal was to save it and bring it back to its original beauty.
Today, the Ross Bay Villa is a Historic house museum. The Ross Bay Villa Society runs it, offering tours and hosting special events. You can even rent the house and garden for things like weddings!
Who Lived in the Villa?
Many interesting people have lived in the Ross Bay Villa.
The Roscoe Family
Francis James Roscoe and his wife, Anna Letitia Le Breton, were the first residents. They raised five children in the house. Francis Roscoe was a businessman who moved to Victoria in 1862. He started a hardware store that helped miners during the Cariboo Gold Rush. Francis also became involved in politics and was elected as a Member of Parliament for Victoria from 1874 to 1878. He passed away in 1878.
After Francis died, Mrs. Roscoe and her children moved back to England.
Other Important Residents
The house was then rented to George Winter, who worked for the colonial governor. George bought the property in 1889. He rented it to Harvey and Margaret Combe. Harvey Combe helped start the Victoria Golf Club in 1893, which is Canada's oldest golf club! A photo of the Combe family in front of the Villa is the oldest known picture of the house. The Winter family lived there from 1892 to 1911. Later, a stonemason named John Mortimer lived there. He founded Mortimer's Monumental Works, and you can see his work on many monuments in the Ross Bay Cemetery nearby.
Bringing the Villa Back to Life
On January 2, 2000, volunteers started working to restore the Villa. They cleaned up the house and grounds and made sure the building was safe. With help from donations and grants, they put on a new roof and installed new electrical, plumbing, and safety systems. Volunteers even replaced the old foundation posts and added insulation and heating under the floor for the first time.
Inside, they carefully studied samples of old wallpaper. They found over 100 different patterns! Some of the original wallpaper designs have been remade using old printing machines. They also matched the original paint colors on all the wood. The entry hall even has special handmade paper that looks like wood panels, just like the original. The floor coverings have also been carefully copied by hand.
When Mrs. Roscoe left the house, she sold all her furniture. Luckily, a list from that 1879 auction helped guide the volunteers. They used it to find furniture, books, dishes, pictures, and oil lamps from the 1860s and 1870s. Now, the dining room, drawing room, kitchen, and entry hall look almost exactly as they did back then!
The Villa's Historic Garden
Most of the details about the original garden have been lost over the past 150 years. However, there was evidence of a round flower bed in front of the porch. Some very old fruit trees have survived, though none are as old as the house itself.
The plan for the garden is to plant only trees, bushes, and flowers that would have been around in the 1860s and 1870s. This includes a vegetable garden, based on old plant catalogs. Early roses and honeysuckle are being trained to grow up the house, just as Sir James Douglas described them. There's also a special flowering ginger plant called Roscoea purpurea. It's extra special because it's named after Francis Roscoe's grandfather, William Roscoe!
The Ross Bay Villa Society
The Ross Bay Villa Society was officially formed on January 17, 2013. This group is a registered charity. Their main goal is to protect, research, and promote the Ross Bay Villa. When The Land Conservancy faced money problems, the Society started raising funds to buy the property. They successfully bought it in October 2015. That year, 2015, was also a big celebration for the Villa's 150th birthday, with many special events and tours!
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