When people step back in time at the grand opening of the Ross Bay Villa on Sunday, they will also be walking on a hand-painted floor cloth that took more than 500 hours of labour to produce.
The floor cloth, with its 28 layers of paint and eight coats of varnish, is just one of the visible items people can marvel at when they visit the heritage house.
The highlight of the day will be when Lt.-Gov. Judith Guichon cuts the ribbon to officially open the house at 1 p.m.
The grand opening is the cumulation of 13 years of restoration work performed on the one-storey restrained Gothic revival style house that was built in 1865. It is one of fewer than a dozen 1860s houses remaining in Victoria.
“It has been a labour of love,” says Davyd McMinn, the restoration supervisor. “It represents tens of thousands of hours of work done by hundreds of volunteers over the past 13 years.”
McMinn says there have been people who have turned up every single Saturday, except holidays such as Christmas and New Year’s Day, to work for a few hours on the house.
The results of their work will be on display Sunday. Apart from the floor, the walls in the foyer are an imitation of raised wood panels, complete with light and shadow lines to give an almost three-dimensional look. The drawing room still has a section of wall that retains the various layers of wallpaper applied over more than a century of occupancy — from the 1980s, to the 1940s, to 1912, 1880 and finally the original wallpaper hung in 1865.
“We would peel a layer back at a time with a scalpel,” says Simone Vogel-Horridge, conservator of the ongoing project. “What started out as a three-year project has turned out to be a long-term journey of discovery.”
The extra time has enabled the restoration team to spend the time to re-create small details, such as hand-painting the fir front door to replicate oak. The detailing includes marking the faux wood-grain pattern with a swipe of a thumb before the paint has an opportunity to dry — making it look like its more-expensive cousin.
The extra time has also enabled the conservators to refurnish the house with items correct for the period, down to a rosewood piano described in a list of household items up for auction in 1879.
The condition of the house is a far cry from 1998, when it was slated for demolition. A research report pointing out its historical significance by the Hallmark Society at that time led to its purchase by The Land Conservatory in 1999.
Part of the attraction to restore the house to its former glory was the fact that it had remained essentially intact for more than 130 years, retaining most of its original features and detailing — albeit under numerous layers of paint.
It is a rare example of an 1860s home left standing on the West Coast of Canada, let alone Victoria. It was, at one time, the home for coachmen serving the lieutenant-governor, whose house is nearby.
The garden contains plants that would have been found on the grounds in the period, including old species of fruit trees. Flower beds originally featured Royal Doulton slate tiles used to retain the soil. Reproductions were made after volunteers were able to piece together broken tiles found buried in the property.
There are 12 rooms in the 1,500-square-foot house. Only three of them, the entry hall, the drawing room and dining room, have been restored. The remaining rooms are works in progress.
Two of the four bedrooms — originally children’s bedrooms — are next slated to be open to the public. Beyond the sleeping areas, which are adjacent to the living areas, are the kitchen and the living quarters for the Asian manservant employed by the original owners.
There was no indoor plumbing — occupants originally used an outhouse on the property. Bathing was performed in a washroom with water heated on the kitchen stove.
There are 12-foot ceilings and the windows are quite large. They were designed that way, says Vogel-Horridge, to let in more light. Kerosene lanterns provided artificial light and the house was heated by coal fireplaces. The house was likely a challenge to heat in the winter due to its high ceilings and single-pane glass windows.
Even with the work already done, more awaits the conservation team. Some funds to help with the house’s restoration have come from various federal, provincial and local governments.
On Sunday, a tea and a tour is $15; tour only is $10, and tea only is $7. The event runs noon to 5 p.m. Entrance to the grounds is free. Live music is provided by students from the Victoria Conservatory of Music.
Tours of the site also take place at 2 p.m. on the first Saturday of every month. Admission is by donation, but $8 is suggested. The house is located at 1490 Fairfield Rd., directly adjacent to the Ross Bay Cemetery. For more information, go to blog.conservancy.bc.ca/properties/vancouver-island-region/ross-bay-villa.