The Cammidge Residence, which was the Cammidges' second house, was moved in 1999 from near the corner of Boundary Bay Road and 3rd Avenue to its current location in Boundary Bay Regional Park. The house was donated to the Greater Vancouver Regional District (now called Metro Vancouver) by the then owner, Century Holdings, who also contributed #100,000 to the cost of moving. The restoration cost another $350,000, which came from various sources, government and otherwise. Now the house is rented for weddings and other private celebrations by the Tsawwassen/Boundary Bay Lions Club. An appropriate rural setting has been recreated as a context for the house.
Status: Still Standing
|
click photo for more pictures
|
|
Foursquare in style, this two-storey restored farmhouse features a large hipped roof, wraparound verandah and scroll-cut decorative frieze. It was built in 1913 for, or perhaps by, Edwin Cammidge, a widower, in anticipation of his second marriage to someone from back east, but that never materialized. Cammidge, along with his daughter Laura and his grandson Aubrey had farmed here since 1886 after purchasing land on Boundary Bay Road from Henry Pering Cease in 1885.
Following the construction of a dyke in 1892, the area along the western shore of Boundary Bay developed into a thriving farm community and resort destination. By the time the Cammidge Residence was built in 1913, Boundary Bay was a well-established community. With minimal rainfall and an easily accessible waterfront, Boundary Bay was used by summer campers as early as the 1890s. By the 1920s, the area was a popular summer resort, which became increasingly more accessible as transportation routes improved. By 1930, a recreational subdivision, including a golf course, was being laid out at Beach Grove, but this venture failed due to the Depression; in August of 1931 the lots were auctioned off. Since then, the resort area has developed into a suburban area adjacent to Tsawwassen, but still retains much of its casual, seaside ambience.
Upon retiring from farming in 1926, Cammidge sold his property, all 200 improved acres, to the Gunns who were neighbours down the road and moved to Vanderhoof, British Columbia. The property was owned by members of the Gunn family from 1927 until 1961, and during the Second World War, it was rented by men stationed at the Boundary Bay Airport Training School. Many years later later the Cammidge house was used for hired men's quarters by the Spetifores but it also stood vacant for a long time.
Character-Defining Elements
Key elements that define the heritage character of the Cammidge Residence include its:
recreated rural setting
residential form, scale and massing, as expressed by two-storey Foursquare plan with hipped roof with closed eaves and semi-octagonal bay window
wood-frame construction with lapped wooden siding
Foursquare style details, such as symmetrical design, square columns and wraparound verandah
exterior architectural details, such as openwork balustrades, scroll-cut frieze and two internal red brick chimneys
original double-hung one-over-one wooden-sash windows with horns
interior features, such as wooden floors and trim, picture rails and original fireplace
|
