Craigdarroch Castle

Craigdarroch Castle

Viewed from the south
Location in British Columbia
Established	1890 (construction), 1979 (museum)
Location	1050 Joan Crescent Victoria, British Columbia V8S 3L5
Coordinates	48°25′21.5″N 123°20′37.5″W / 48.422639°N 123.343750°W / 48.422639; -123.343750
Type	Historic house museum (Victorian era/Victorian architecture)
Visitors	150,000 per year
Public transit access	Victoria Regional Transit System #11 and #14 bus
Website	www.thecastle.ca
National Historic Site of Canada
Official name	Craigdarroch National Historic Site of Canada
Designated	1992

Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, is a historic, Victorian-era Scottish baronial mansion. It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada due to its landmark status in Victoria.^[1]

It was constructed in the late 19th century as a family residence for the wealthy coal baron Robert Dunsmuir and his wife Joan. Robert died in 12 April 1889, 17 months before construction on the castle was completed. His sons Alexander and James took over the role of finishing the home after his death. James also commissioned the construction of Victoria's second "castle": Hatley Castle located in Colwood, British Columbia.^[2]

Upon the death of Robert Dunsmuir's widow, Joan, the Craigdarroch estate was sold to land speculator Griffith Hughes for $38,000 who subdivided the estate into building lots.^[3] To stimulate sales during a slow real estate market, Griffiths announced that the home would be the subject of a raffle, to be won by one of the purchasers of the residential parcels carved from the estate. The winner, Solomon Cameron, mortgaged the home to finance other speculative ventures which failed, leaving him broke, and in 1919 ownership of the home passed to one of Cameron's creditors, the Bank of Montreal.^[3]

The building later served as a military hospital, college, offices, and a conservatory, before it was re-purposed as a historical museum in 1979. The museum is currently owned by the Craigdarroch Castle Historical Museum Society, which is a private non-profit society, and is open to the public. The building is a tourist attraction, and receives 150,000 visitors a year.

The building was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1992.

Since its completion in 1890, the building had six major occupants, including:

• The Dunsmuirs (1890–1908)
• Military Hospital (1919–1921)
• Victoria College (1921–1946)
• Victoria School Board Office (1946–1968)
• Victoria Conservatory of Music (1969–1979)
• Craigdarroch Castle museum (1979–Present)^[4]

Craigdarroch Castle is believed to have cost around $500,000 when it was built, and included granite from British Columbia, tile from San Francisco, and an oak staircase prefabricated in Chicago.^[5] When originally constructed Craigdarroch stood in grounds comprising 28 acres (110,000 m²) of formal gardens in Victoria's Rockland neighbourhood.^[6] Craigdarroch Castle has 39 rooms covering over 25,000 square feet (2,300 m²).

The four-story Craigdarroch Castle retains furnishings from the 1890s, intricate woodwork and stained glass that has been documented by the Institute for Stained Glass in Canada.^[7]

The initial architect of the castle, Warren Heywood Williams, died before its completion. His work was taken over by his associate, Arthur L. Smith, in 1890.

• 
  Stained windows in Craigdarroch Castle, a noted feature of the building
• 
  A period exhibit in Craigdarroch's billiards room. The home has served as a historical museum since 1979.

The castle contains examples of paintings, sculpture, and carvings.

• Craigdarroch Castle in 21 Treasures, by Moira Dann (2021), 144-page paperback book published by TouchWood Editions. ISBN 9781771513487

• List of historic places in Victoria, British Columbia

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