Showing 125 results

archival descriptions
Hatley Park Collection Item
Print preview View:

125 results with digital objects Show results with digital objects

Laura Dunsmuir in Hatley park drawing room

Image is from a series of photos taken by HU Knight. Other prints from the same photo session appear in different Dunsmuir family albums. On the back of one of the prints is written "taken on my 70th birthday". Laura Dunsmuir was born February 13, 1858.

unpaved road at Hatley Park

Hatley Castle was designed by renowned British Columbia architect Samuel Maclure for James Dunsmuir. The estate was further developed from 1912-1914 by Boston based landscape architects, Brett and Hall. This included addition of a new entrance on Sooke Road that would bring the visitor down a winding, serpentine road to the main house. An extensive network of roads and trails were added to the estate.

James Dunsmuir Jr on Kismet outside Hatley Castle. Kismet is standing still

James Dunsmuir Jr, known to his family as ‘Boy’, and to others as Jim, was born in 1894. His childhood education took place at Loretto, a private school in Scotland, where he became an accomplished lightweight boxer. After he completed his schooling, Jim went to Montreal and worked as a private secretary at a bank. With a lifelong love of horses, it came as no surprise that he enlisted in the B.C. Horse and later the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles (CMR) stationed at Willows fairground in Victoria at the outbreak of the First World War. Having taken the cavalry school course in Winnipeg, Jim was made a lieutenant, but he quickly grew frustrated with the seemingly endless ceremonial duties of the CMR. Anxious to contribute to the war in Europe, Jim resigned his commission and set sail for England to join a British cavalry regiment. Jim departed from New York on May 1, 1915, on the luxury passenger ship Lusitania. Tragically, as the ship neared the Irish coast on May 7, it was hit by a German torpedo and sank. His body was never recovered.
This image, with Jim sat on his horse, Kismet, was taken when he was stationed in Victoria. There are similar versions of this photograph in this and other collections.

Conservatory complex from the west. Man stood in front of conservatory

The greenhouse and conservatory were constructed and installed by the Lord and Burnham Company and they later used the estate installation in their promotional material. The glass house complex had a full time manager and required 60 tons of coal and 200 cords of wood per year to heat. The ornate conservatory pictured had a central dome of about 30 ft square, with two side galleries, each 60 ft long. Flowers were grown inside that were intended for display in the castle and in later years it was also used for food production. According to a former gardener, interviewed in the 1950s, Laura Dunsmuir said that the conservatory was an extravagance in a private garden and that it should be in a public park.

panoramic photo of Hatley Park from garden ponds. Italian garden is under construction

The Italian garden is under construction and early Japanese garden (pre stone lined pond) is visible.
The Italian garden to the west of the castle was added as part of extensive development of the Hatley Park estate by Boston based landscape architects, Brett and Hall from 1912-1914.
The upper Japanese garden at Hatley Park was designed by Japanese landscape architect Isaburo Kishida. The garden was installed in 1909 and developed by Tadashi Noda from 1913-1927.

Roland Stuart's Hatley Park home from the pond

Image shows the farmhouse at Roland Stuart's Hatley Park estate. In the foreground, the pond that would later form part of the Dunsmuirs' formal gardens is visible. Farm labourers are gathering hay.
In the summer of 1903, architect Ridgeway-Wilson was engaged to make some alterations to the home, including the use of a half timber and plaster finish. It is possible that this image post dates the improvements made.

Results 76 to 100 of 125