Page 257 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Pacific Northwest

BRITISH C OL UMBIA  255

rotated so that all pieces
in the extensive collection
can eventually be viewed.
+ Craigdarroch Castle
1050 Joan Cres. Tel (250) 592-5323.
Open mid-Jun–Sep: 9am–7pm daily;
Oct–mid-Jun: 10am–4:30pm daily.
Closed major hols. & =
∑ thecastle.ca
Completed in 1890, Craigdarroch
Castle was the pet project of
respected coal miner and
railroad baron Robert Dunsmuir,
who built it to reflect his status
A stately, centuries-old Garry oak tree in as the wealthiest man in British
Beacon Hill Park Columbia. Although not a A tower at Craigdarroch Castle in the French
medieval, fortified castle, the Gothic style
planting. Once a favorite haunt design of this large house was
of artist Emily Carr (see p215), inspired by stately homes in P Government House
this peaceful park, the oldest Scotland and mixes several 1401 Rockland Ave. Tel (250) 387-2080.
and largest in Victoria, is now architectural styles, including Open daily (gardens only). Cary Castle
renowned for its lofty old trees Gothic, Scottish Baronial, and Mews: May–Sep: Tue–Sat (check
(including the rare Garry oaks); Romanesque Revival. website for times). 7 ∑ ltgov.bc.ca
stretches of wild camas lilies, When the castle was The present Government House
once highly valued by the area’s threatened with demolition building was completed in 1959
First Nations; picturesque duck in 1959, a group of local citizens after fire destroyed the 1903
ponds; children’s petting zoo; successfully battled for its structure, designed by Francis
and a cricket pitch. restoration. Today, the interior Rattenbury and Samuel
is a museum that offers an Maclure. The official residence
E Art Gallery of insight into the lifestyle of of BC’s lieutenant-governor,
Greater Victoria a wealthy entrepreneur. the house is normally closed
1040 Moss St. Tel (250) 384-4171. The castle is noted for having to the public, but visitors can
Open 10am–5pm Mon–Sat (to 9pm one of the finest collections of view the stunning public
Thu), noon–5pm Sun & most hols. Art Nouveau lead-glass windows gardens with lawns, ponds, an
Closed Sep 14–May 16: Mon, in North America, and many of English country garden, and
Thanksgiving, Dec 25. & 7 = the rooms and hallways retain a Victorian rose garden. Some
∑ aggv.ca
their patterned wood parquet 19th-century wooden buildings
This gallery’s eclectic collection, floors and carved paneling in on the southeast side of the
the largest in BC, is housed in white oak, cedar, and mahogany. estate that form a part of the
an impressive Victorian mansion Every room is filled with opulent Cary Castle Mews are also open,
east of the downtown area. Victorian furnishings from the including the Costume Museum,
Inside, fine wood moldings, late 19th century and decorated Interpretive Centre, and Tea
original fireplaces, and tall in deep greens, pinks, and rusts. House. Marvelous views of the
ceilings provide a stately Several layers of the paint have grounds can be enjoyed from
home for an array of exhibits, been carefully removed from the Pearke’s Peak, a mount formed
including a wide-ranging drawing room ceiling to reveal from the rocky outcrops that
collection of Chinese and the original stenciled and hand- surround the property and
Japanese painting, ceramics, painted decorations beneath. which contain rock gardens.
and pottery. The gallery also
has the only authentic Shinto
shrine in North America.
The collection of contemporary
Canadian paintings includes
those of famous local artist
Emily Carr (see p215). Executed
between the 1900s and 1930s,
Carr’s paintings, with their
haunting evocation of the
stormy Northwest and the lives
of First Nations peoples, are
among the gallery’s most
popular exhibits. Carr’s works,
which include her writings, are Government House, restored in 1959 with blue and pink granite

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