Description of Historic Place

2450 Windsor Road is a one-and-one-half storey board and batten bungalow with a prominent hipped roof, dormers and bell-cast eaves. It is set in a mature garden behind a tall hedge in a residential neighbourhood of Oak Bay, British Columbia.

Heritage Value

This site is primarily valued for its contribution to the heritage assemblage around the perimeter of Windsor Park. This park, established in 1896 by the British Columbia Electric Railway Company, was considered the finest athletic grounds on the Pacific Coast, featuring professional baseball, a cycling track and grandstands for 2,000 people. It is still a popular venue for cricket, tennis and rugby, and is the starting point for the Oak Bay Tea Party Parade. The single family homes situated on Currie, Windsor and Transit Roads, which form three sides of the park, are of similar scale and height; they define the park edge, creating a sense of continuity. Also contributing to this assemblage is a bungalow, by the same architect, which stands directly opposite, across the park, at 2493 Currie Road. This was commissioned by Margaret Marsh, the estranged wife of the owner of 2450 Windsor Road, to be a smaller version of her former home.

Built in 1912 for Charles M. Lamb, to plans by architect Samuel Maclure, this house is significant for its association with Maclure and is a good example of one of his signature designs. Maclure was the leading architect of residences in British Columbia in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and although closely identified with the British Arts and Crafts style, he is also recognized for his 'Maclure bungalow'. Described as 'practical, handsome and inexpensive', these bungalows were sturdy wooden homes with wood cladding; they adhered to Maclure's principles in their use of indigenous materials, fine workmanship, and functional planning. With its broad hipped bell-cast roof, tall chimneys, and setting in a mature landscape, 2450 Windsor Road is a fine example of a 'Maclure bungalow'.

Source: District of Oak Bay Planning Department

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of 2450 Windsor Road include its:
- picturesque setting overlooking Windsor Park
- location in the centre of a double lot
- form, scale, and massing; hipped roof with dormers
- wood frame construction
- style details such as the board and batten cladding, bell-cast hipped roof, deep eaves
- exterior architectural details such as two brick chimneys, recessed front entry
- casement windows; regular fenestration
- interior features including four fireplaces