H is for…
…Helmcken House
Helmcken House “was the home (1853 to 1920) of Dr. John Sebastian Helmcken, first speaker of an elected assembly in British Columbia, one of the three negotiators of British Columbia’s entry into Confederation, early Vancouver Island doctor, and founding president of the British Columbia Medical Association.” (http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=1458)
Helmcken House was one of the first residences built in what became James Bay, and apparently is the first historic site owned by the provincial government (it was bought by the government in 1939 – I’m not sure if anyone lived in it between 1920 and 1939…). Today, Helmcken House stands on the grounds of the Royal BC Museum and is open to the public, although it was not open when I visited (it doesn’t open until June 1, and closes again on September 1), and I have never been inside myself. Maybe this summer!
A walk around the house…
The schoolhouse next door
The Father-in-Law
Interesting Websites
- Helmcken House at Tourism Victoria: http://www.tourismvictoria.com/listings/Helmcken-House/64650/
- Helmcken House at the Royal BC Museum: http://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/events/helmcken-house-and-st-anns-schoolhouse-open/
- Helmcken House at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmcken_House
- Helmcken House at Historic Places: http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=1458
Posted on April 9, 2015, in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink. 3 Comments.
Your posts are so informative, Em !
I HATE the erection of that glass monstrosity beside the house.
Yeah – that would be the museum. It is definitely an example of architecture of its time. But, at least they didn’t demolish or move the historic houses!
Isn’t it pathetic that we have to be grateful for that ? – that aspect of facadeism …