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Craigdarroch Castle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is for the Canadian mansion. For the Scottish house, see Craigdarroch.
Plaque in front of the castle
Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria, British Columbia, is an historic, Victorian-era mansion comprising 39 rooms and over 20,000 square feet (1,900 mē).
It was constructed in the 1890s as a family residence for the wealthy coal baron Robert Dunsmuir and his wife Joan. Robert died in April 1889, more than a year before construction on the castle was
completed. His sons Alexander and James took over the role of finishing the castle after his death. The initial architect
of the castle, Warren Williams, also died before completion of the castle. His work was taken over by his associate, Arthur.
L. Smith in 1890.
The four-story castle still has lavish furnishings from the 1890s and is known for its stained-glass
and intricate woodwork. The Castle is currently owned by the Craigdarroch Castle Historical Museum Society, which is a private
non-profit society, and is open to the public. The castle is a tourist attraction, and receives 150,000 visitors a year. The
museum is accredited by the AAM.
Occupation
The home had six main eras of occupation:
- The Dunsmuir era (1890-1908)
- The Military Hospital Era (1919-1921)
- Victoria College Era (1921-1946)
- Victoria School Board Office Era (1946-1968)
- Victoria Conservatory of Music Era (1969-1979)
- Museum Era (1979-Present)[1]
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