Fernwood (Greater Victoria)
Encyclopedia
Fernwood is a neighbourhood near downtown Victoria, British Columbia
, Canada
, bounded by the neighbourhoods of Jubilee, North Park, Fairfield
, Downtown, Oaklands and Harris Green.
, The Fernwood Inn (formerly The George and Dragon pub), The Little Piggy...went to Fernwood (restaurant), Black Raven Records, Stir It Up (a Jamaican and Caribbean restaurant) and She Said Gallery. Other businesses near the core include: Stage wine bar, The Cornerstone Cafe, the Collective Works Gallery and Freedom Kilts.
The Belfry Theatre has been producing plays at the center of the area since 1976. The neighbourhood is also home to Victoria High School, Central Middle School, and George Jay Elementary.
The Fernwood Community Association facilitates land use discussions between developers, residents, and the City, as well as providing facilities for various community groups and gallery space. The Fernwood Community Centre and The Cornerstone Cafe are operated by the Fernwood Neighborhood Resource Group. The neighbourhood is also home to many recreational groups, including the Fernwood United Football Club (soccer).
prior to the establishment of Fort Victoria
. It is believed that a Songhees village may have been located at what is today Cadboro Bay. With the establishment of Fort Victoria, a trail linking the fort to Cadboro Bay ran through the area that would become Fernwood and was used by aboriginals and Europeans.
Bishop Edward Cridge described the area as it was in the 1850s as "open country without a house or field till we arrived at the Company's farm [Cadboro Bay Farm]".
Early European settlers in the area included John Work, born in Donegal
, Ireland
who developed the Hillside Farm on the northwest edge of today's Fernwood, and Benjamin Pearse
, born in Devon
shire, England
. Pearse owned land between Denman Street and Pandora Avenue, bounded by Fernwood Road on the west and Belmont Avenue on the east. His home, Fernwood Manor, constructed in 1860, gave its name to the neighbourhood. After Pearse's death in 1902, Pearse's second wife, Sarah Jane Pearse resided there until her death in 1954. Fernwood Manor stood at Vining and Begbie Streets for 109 years before its demolition in 1969.
Historically, a spring in Fernwood supplied Victoria with its main source of water, hence the earlier name of the neighbourhood, Springridge. In 1875 Victoria began piping water from Elk Lake, and in 1885, the site of the original springs became the location of the Empire Brewery.
Residential development began in earnest in the 1890s, and many homes in western Fernwood and along Fernwood Road itself date from this era. In the early 1900s a large area west of Fernwood Road was used as a sand and gravel pit to supply construction materials to local builders, to the dismay of many early residents. The problem was partly solved by the construction of the present Victoria High School in 1912 on some of the lands that had been used as the sand and gravel pit.
Central Middle School stands on the site of the first public school, a wood-frame schoolhouse built in 1853 on the colonial school reserve. This building was replaced in 1876 by a building designed by Victoria architect John Teague, who also designed the Dominion Customs House on Wharf Street and Victoria City Hall. In turn, the 1876 school was replaced in 1902 by a brick building designed by Francis Rattenbury
. However, the increase in Victoria's population in the early 1900s made this building inadequate within 12 years. The present Central Middle School (formerly Central Junior High School) , built in 1952, was designed by the Victoria architectural firm Birley Wade Stockdill.
The commercial heart of Fernwood developed along Fernwood road in the 1890s and early 1900s and many of the commercial buildings in the village date from this time. The building now housing the Belfry Theatre was built in 1892 as the Emmanuel Baptist Church. Another small commercial node developed along Haultain Road. Most of the Fernwood neighbourhood was built up by the end of the real estate boom of 1913.
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, bounded by the neighbourhoods of Jubilee, North Park, Fairfield
Fairfield (Greater Victoria)
Fairfield is a neighbourhood of Victoria, BC. It is bounded by the James Bay, Downtown, Harris Green, Fernwood, Rockland, and Gonzales neighbourhoods, and meets the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the south .-Community:...
, Downtown, Oaklands and Harris Green.
Community
The neighbourhood is centered at a small square, the home of the Belfry TheatreBelfry Theatre
The Belfry Theatre is a theatre and associated theatre company in the Fernwood neighbourhood of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The theatre is, in fact, a nineteenth-century church designed by Thomas Hooper.-Origins:...
, The Fernwood Inn (formerly The George and Dragon pub), The Little Piggy...went to Fernwood (restaurant), Black Raven Records, Stir It Up (a Jamaican and Caribbean restaurant) and She Said Gallery. Other businesses near the core include: Stage wine bar, The Cornerstone Cafe, the Collective Works Gallery and Freedom Kilts.
The Belfry Theatre has been producing plays at the center of the area since 1976. The neighbourhood is also home to Victoria High School, Central Middle School, and George Jay Elementary.
The Fernwood Community Association facilitates land use discussions between developers, residents, and the City, as well as providing facilities for various community groups and gallery space. The Fernwood Community Centre and The Cornerstone Cafe are operated by the Fernwood Neighborhood Resource Group. The neighbourhood is also home to many recreational groups, including the Fernwood United Football Club (soccer).
History
The Fernwood area was part of the territory originally inhabited by the SongheesSonghees
The Songhees or Songish, also known as the Lekwungen or Lekungen, are an indigenous North American Coast Salish people who reside on southeastern Vancouver Island, British Columbia in the Greater Victoria area...
prior to the establishment of Fort Victoria
Fort Victoria
Fort Victoria may refer to:* Fort Victoria, Alberta, Canada* Fort Victoria , Canada* Fort Victoria * Fort Victoria , England* Masvingo, Zimbabwe, named Fort Victoria until 1982...
. It is believed that a Songhees village may have been located at what is today Cadboro Bay. With the establishment of Fort Victoria, a trail linking the fort to Cadboro Bay ran through the area that would become Fernwood and was used by aboriginals and Europeans.
Bishop Edward Cridge described the area as it was in the 1850s as "open country without a house or field till we arrived at the Company's farm [Cadboro Bay Farm]".
Early European settlers in the area included John Work, born in Donegal
Donegal
Donegal or Donegal Town is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. Its name, which was historically written in English as Dunnagall or Dunagall, translates from Irish as "stronghold of the foreigners" ....
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
who developed the Hillside Farm on the northwest edge of today's Fernwood, and Benjamin Pearse
Benjamin Pearse
Benjamin William Pearse was a public servant for the colonies of Vancouver Island and of British Columbia...
, born in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
shire, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Pearse owned land between Denman Street and Pandora Avenue, bounded by Fernwood Road on the west and Belmont Avenue on the east. His home, Fernwood Manor, constructed in 1860, gave its name to the neighbourhood. After Pearse's death in 1902, Pearse's second wife, Sarah Jane Pearse resided there until her death in 1954. Fernwood Manor stood at Vining and Begbie Streets for 109 years before its demolition in 1969.
Historically, a spring in Fernwood supplied Victoria with its main source of water, hence the earlier name of the neighbourhood, Springridge. In 1875 Victoria began piping water from Elk Lake, and in 1885, the site of the original springs became the location of the Empire Brewery.
Residential development began in earnest in the 1890s, and many homes in western Fernwood and along Fernwood Road itself date from this era. In the early 1900s a large area west of Fernwood Road was used as a sand and gravel pit to supply construction materials to local builders, to the dismay of many early residents. The problem was partly solved by the construction of the present Victoria High School in 1912 on some of the lands that had been used as the sand and gravel pit.
Central Middle School stands on the site of the first public school, a wood-frame schoolhouse built in 1853 on the colonial school reserve. This building was replaced in 1876 by a building designed by Victoria architect John Teague, who also designed the Dominion Customs House on Wharf Street and Victoria City Hall. In turn, the 1876 school was replaced in 1902 by a brick building designed by Francis Rattenbury
Francis Rattenbury
Francis Mawson Rattenbury was an architect born in England, although most of his career was spent in British Columbia, Canada where he designed many notable buildings. Divorced amid scandal, he was murdered in England at the age of 68 by his second wife's lover.- Architectural career :Rattenbury...
. However, the increase in Victoria's population in the early 1900s made this building inadequate within 12 years. The present Central Middle School (formerly Central Junior High School) , built in 1952, was designed by the Victoria architectural firm Birley Wade Stockdill.
The commercial heart of Fernwood developed along Fernwood road in the 1890s and early 1900s and many of the commercial buildings in the village date from this time. The building now housing the Belfry Theatre was built in 1892 as the Emmanuel Baptist Church. Another small commercial node developed along Haultain Road. Most of the Fernwood neighbourhood was built up by the end of the real estate boom of 1913.
External links
- Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Group (formerly: Fernwood Community Centre Society)
- Fernwood Community Association (FCA)
- Fernwood News, quarterly newspaper by the FCA
- Village Vibe, monthly newsletter by Fernwood NRG.
- City of Victoria - Profile of Fernwood, Demographics, Map, Neighbourhood plan
- City of Victoria - Community Resources Inventory, map with guide to local businesses and resources
- The Belfry Theatre
- Fernwood United Football Club, Soccer team and Club
- Collective Works Gallery, A local artist collective gallery
- /Fernwood Inn
- Freedom Kilts
- The Little Piggy ... Went to Fernwood