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Brown Residence

1210 Tattersall Drive, Saanich, British Columbia, V8P, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1987/10/19

Exterior view of the Brown Residence.; Derek Trachsel, District of Saanich, 2004.
Oblique view.
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Other Name(s)

Craigmillar Lodge
Brown Residence

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1913/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2004/10/26

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

The Brown Residence is a two-and-one-half storey Tudor Revival style house located in the Quadra area of Saanich.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Brown Residence is associated with its development within its neighbourhood context. Quadra, located directly north of the Victoria-Saanich border, is a large urban neighbourhood created from subdivisions of its early farms. Much of the south part of Quadra was originally W.F. Tolmie's Cloverdale Farm, just one of the large farms in the area cut from the forest by the 1850s. Tolmie was a prominent local surgeon, Hudson's Bay Company officer, politician and major early landowner in this area of Saanich. The Canadian Northern Pacific Railway ran a service from Victoria to Sidney through the area from 1915 to 1935; their spur line ran until 1990, and is now used as a regional trail.

The Brown Residence is valued as one of the grandest examples of Tudor Revival domestic architecture in the municipality. The design of this house is significant as it relates to the contemporary English Tudor design popularized in particular by Victoria architect Samuel Maclure. This style became a signature of house architecture in Victoria in the early twentieth century, a period during which more people were able to afford lavish single-family homes, such as this one, surrounded by large garden lots.

This residence, designed for retired postal employee John Brown and his wife Kate, is an important representation of the accomplished design abilities of architect W.J. Semeyn, and the precise workmanship of builder A.H. Mitchell. Netherlands-born Semeyn (1890-1952) was unusual for being one of the few early architects of B.C. who did not originate from either Great Britain or the U.S.A. Of noble birth, he brought a refined and thoughtful sensibility to his commissions. The heavy roofline massing of the Brown Residence, with its half-hipped gables, hints at Semeyn's Dutch influence.

Source: Heritage Planning Files, District of Saanich

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Brown Residence include its:
- location of the house in a garden-like setting
- form, scale and massing
- two-storey pavillion above the main entrance
- Arts And Crafts / Tudor Revival elements, such as the stone cladding of the main floor; decorative half-timbering and stucco on the upper levels; bargeboards and exposed rafter tails; registers of leaded glass wooden-sash windows; front porch; and heavy, dominant front half-hipped gables
- outbuildings and structures dating to the time of construction, including the garage, which sits across from this house, in front of a house on Craigmillar Avenue and gate pillars
- interior elements dating to the time of construction, including significant woodwork and craftsmanship

Recognition

Jurisdiction

British Columbia

Recognition Authority

Local Governments (BC)

Recognition Statute

Local Government Act, s.967

Recognition Type

Heritage Designation

Recognition Date

1987/10/19

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life
Architecture and Design

Function - Category and Type

Current

Historic

Residence
Single Dwelling

Architect / Designer

William Jacobus Semeyn

Builder

A.H. Mitchell

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

Heritage Planning Files, District of Saanich

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

DcRu-349

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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