Newly vacated by the Victoria Conservatory of Music, Craigdarroch Castle is now primed to become a museum dedicated to the restoration and preservation of the building. The founder of the Craigdarroch Castle Historical Museum Society, James K. Nesbitt, has fought tirelessly to ensure that the building would be preserved for future visitors. You, a member of the Society, have been trusted with this task of restoring and preserving. As you go through the building today, you will notice certain significant artifacts that have been recently acquired by the Castle Society and observe some projects that are currently in progress.As you enter through the front door, you cast a glance up the main staircase. That dizzying view never gets old! As you move further into the space, you admire the sandstone fireplace and the clock on the mantle, recently reacquired for the house by the Society.
The Library - Daisy Window
Moving into the library, the sparkling daisy window above the bent flue fireplace catches your eye. Its vibrant purples dance in harmony with the delicate white flowers, framing a window to outside. While you don’t know it yet, this window was manufactured by Pacific Art Glass Works of San Francisco, California. This is the same company that supplied the windows in San Jose’s Winchester Mystery House. ArtiFACT: the manufacturer of the Castle’s windows was only discovered in 2019 through shipping records and plumbing receipts, as well as help from historian Jim Wolf.
Garden Entrance
The Castle has housed many stories during its time in both private and public hands. Those lives (and feet!) are inscribed onto the floor of the Garden Entrance. Feel the grooves in the marble with your feet from where veterans and students entered Craigdarroch!
Drawing Room - The Ceiling
The most daunting task that faces the Society is recreating the rooms of the Castle as they believe that the Dunsmuirs would have decorated them. Fortunately, the 1909 auction catalogue serves as a great asset in this project, as it lists everything that was in each room. The drawing room comes with extra evidence of how the house looked during the Dunsmuir era, as it is the site of the only surviving interior photograph. Casting your eyes to the ceiling, you look over the beginnings of the next massive restoration project - removing five layers of white house paint from the fresco secco ceiling. Imagine this beautiful scene, hidden under paint! ArtiFACT: it took 12 summers to remove the white paint from the ceiling!
The Dining Room - Dining Table
Fighting for the title of most impressive artifact in the dining room, the impressive oak dining table stretches across the centre of the room. Originally capable of seating 14 during the Dunsmuir’s time, it had two leaves cut out of it when it was sold during the auction in 1909. Fortunately, the new owner kept the leaves and the table was able to be restored to its true length when it returned to the Castle, along with six of the original chairs. The other eight are being recreated by a local furniture maker to join the set, being made with materials and techniques as close to those used in the Victorian era as possible.
The Landing
Pausing on the stairs to appreciate the stained glass, you cast a glance up and take in the pink flowers set against a vibrant blue background. The sound travels very well in this area of the house and you bet that you could call up to someone on the fourth floor with no issue.
The Sitting Room - 'Serena'
In the sitting room, Winston the canary sings from his golden cage by the window. However, your eyes are drawn to the alabaster statue that Mr. Nesbitt is so fond of. It is an alabaster baby statue that Nesbitt has nicknamed ‘Serena.’ArtiFACT: when the museum’s front desk was at the Garden Entrance, Nesbitt had Serena placed on a table in the library so that he could always see the statue.
Jessie's Bedroom - Jessie's Legacy
Your task for the restoration of this room is to research what Jessie Dunsmuir did after she left Craigdarroch. The sixth daughter of Robert and Joan, Jessie was the eldest of the daughters who lived in the Castle. Her marriage to the Irish baronet, Sir Richard Musgrave, opened the door for her younger sisters to marry nobility. Jessie’s great grandson is Julian Jameson. Until recently, Julian owned and ran the family whiskey distillery, Jameson Irish Whiskey!
The Landing
Another detail that might catch your eye as you ascend the stairs is the creature wrapped around a protruding ceiling post. It is a salamander, thought to be fireproof in the mythology of the Dunsmuir’s native Scotland. It seems to be working well as fire protectant, as there has never been a fire in the Castle!
Billiard Room - Upright Piano
Another historically significant artifact that the Society has acquired is the upright piano that sits in the Billiard Room. It is one of only 13 pianos that the firm Goodwin & Jordan made in the three short years of business between 1886 and 1889. This piano has remained in Victoria throughout its life and was once owned by Mrs. Martha Harris, the daughter of Sir James Douglas.
Robert Dunsmuir Harvey's Bedroom - Scheele's Green
The paint that graces the walls of Robert Dunsmuir Harvey’s bedroom is a colour called Scheele’s Green. While the Society has since painted over it with a modern version of this paint, the original paint beneath was made with arsenic. In the Victorian era, arsenic was a common component of many household items. However, when the paint would flake off of the walls, people would begin to get sick. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that Robert only lived in the Castle for a few short months before his grandmother sent him to boarding school!
Effie's Bedroom - Art Table
A notable artifact that the Society acquired for use in Effie’s bedroom is an art table, once owned by renowned British Columbian artist, Sophie Pemberton. It is a breathtaking example of “art furniture”, caressed by carved lily pads and pond lilies. ArtiFACT: Sophie Pemberton was a friend of the Dunsmuir daughters!
The Dance Hall - Coronation Chair
In the Dance Hall sits an unassuming chair that holds a lot of historical significance. James Dunsmuir received it as a gift after attending the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902. He attended the coronation when he was Premier of British Columbia. This chair was made in 1902 and is emblazoned with the words “E. R. VII CORONATION.” It was acquired by the donor’s family in the 1937 Hatley Park auction. ArtiFACT: the faded leather seat of this chair is not original to it. The original rush seat was likely replaced by the Dunsmuirs.
The Family Bathroom - Restoration
This room took 17 years to complete, evident in the amount of historical detail poured into it. While the Society is unsure of what this bathroom originally looked like, it has been recreated using photos of bathrooms from other upper-class mansions of the time. The detail is precise, down to the authentic Victorian toilet paper, made between 1885 and 1890. ArtiFACT: the tiling in this room is original!
Servants Quarters - Ingrain Carpet
The red and yellow ingrain carpet covering the linoleum floor (installed by the Victoria school board) is a rare artifact in itself. Ingrain carpets that covered the floors of 19th century homes were inexpensive and not very durable, so they tended to wear quickly and be discarded. The fact that this room boasts an intact piece is a rarity!
Maud's Bedroom - Wall Sconce
In Maud’s bedroom, focus your gaze not only on the opulent furnishings, but on the antique gas wall sconce on the right hand wall. Possibly original to Craigdarroch, this wall sconce was found in the Castle’s attic in the mid-1970s. This piece has aided the Society in making design choices for additional antique gas fixtures to furnish the Castle’s rooms.
Second Floor Back Hall
Notice the circular mouthpiece protruding from the wall to the left of the middle painting. This is a speaking tube - the Victorian equivalent of an intercom system. These tubes all led to the kitchen, where Dunsmuir staff could hear what the family members needed.
The Smoking Room - Dog Doorstop
A small detail that might be spotted by eagle-eyed museum visitors is the Boston Terrier doorstop propping the door of the smoking room open. Dog-themed doorstops were reportedly popular during the Victorian era.
The Breakfast Room - Cruet Set
A small detail that might be spotted by eagle-eyed museum visitors is the Boston Terrier doorstop propping the door of the smoking room open. Dog-themed doorstops were reportedly popular during the Victorian era.
The End
As your time in the Castle ends, we invite you to reflect on the experience you had today. We hope you have enjoyed stepping into the past!
