ARCHITECTURE:
This rare, one-storey, Italianate brick house is the last remaining of four brick houses built by the Humbers on this street. It is hip-roofed with a front-facing, hip-roofed, bracketed dormer directly above the front entrance. Eaves brackets with pendants are paired at the corners; the frieze is panelled. There is a wide recessed wing to the left side of the main symmetrical building; a simpler extension is on the right rear corner. The main portion has a projecting entry porch and inset front door. On either side of the porch are a pair of double, segmentally-arched sash windows with keystones. All the windows and front entrance are similarly arched with keystones. The paired windows have wooden fretwork ornamentation. There are brick quoins on the front corners. The foundation is parged stone and there are two brick chimneys, the right with its original corbelling. The house survived a roof fire in 1997. Although this house was attributed to architect John Teague, he did not place any tender calls in the newspapers because it was built by owner/contractor Maurice Humber. Therefore, the architect is unknown.
ORIGINAL OCCUPANTS:
Maurice Humber (b. Ventnor, Isle of Wight, ENG 1834-1902) built this house, but never lived in it. He came to Bowmanville, ON c.1852 and married Maria Matilda (née Behan, b. Montréal 1839-1907) in 1856. They came here in 1863 by way of Panama, and Maurice began contracting and brick manufacturing businesses (p32). His brick works, one of the City’s largest, was located behind this house, where BC Transit’s yard is now. The 1869 Directory lists him as M. Humber, Bricklayer & Contractor, Courtenay St. His name alternates as Morris/Maurice/Maurice Sr, son Maurice “Luke” as Morris/Maurice Jr. They are listed on Courtenay St until 1882-83 when Topaz Av is given as residence (760 Topaz Av). Maurice was a member of IOOF. Matilda was associated with the Methodist Church, on Pandora Av (1411 Quadra St, Harris Green) and Gorge Rd (now Centennial United, 612 David St, Burnside) built with Humber bricks; he was church contractor in 1885. Humber Green commemorates the family.
There were seven children: Mary Ann, Maurice “Luke” (1858-1933), Frederick “Fred” Stuart Spearman (1862-1892), born in Bowmanville, and William Henry Russell “Russ” (1866-1941), Sarah Amelia “Amy” (1871-1945), Mary Nettie Lillian, Arthur Albert (1873-1928) born in Victoria. Amy married Rev Smith Stanley Ousterhout (1868-1953) in 1894 and moved to Vancouver. Arthur became a dentist, married Gertrude C. Hackett (b. Sydney, NS 1879-1972) in 1899, and lived at 1781 Rockland Av. [Three of Arthur and Gertrude’s sons established Humber Furniture Co in 1938; from 1945-69 they operated at 45 Bastion Sq and 1118 Langley St, constructed 1900-01 and 1891 from Humber Bricks].
Luke married Annie Lauretta O’Brien (b. Napa, CA, USA 1860-1944) in 1879. He was a bricklayer and contractor and, with Russ, built the Simon Leiser Building (522-24 Yates St, Downtown), Old Drill Hall (421-431 Menzies St, James Bay) and Estevan Point Lighthouse. They also worked on construction of Esquimalt Drydock [renamed Naden Drydock in 1971]. Their brick home was at 740 Topaz Ave near his parents from 1882-1933.
1885-92: Fred married Marion Maud (née Blackett, b. Lingan, NS 1862-1939) in 1885 and lived in 610 Gorge until his death at 30. He worked in the family brickmaking business. Marion later married Francis Ferdinand Hedges (b. Faringdon, Berks, ENG 1851-1919) in 1905.
OTHER OCCUPANTS:
1892-1910: Russ, a bricklayer and longtime manager of Humber Brick Co, in 1889 married Emily (née Baker, b. Victoria 1869-1949), daughter of George Henry and Clara Baker. [George, older brother of James who established Baker Bricks, was a carpenter and contractor who built many projects for the city (968 Balmoral Rd, North Park; 714 Discovery St, Burnside)]. Until 1892 they lived with Russ’ parents at 760 Topaz, then 602 Gorge until 1910 and finally 616 Gorge (see below). [616 was sold to Helen Tyson Humber (née Pottinger, b. Victoria 1897-1970), wife of Russ and Emily’s son, Percy (1893-1963)]. 602 Gorge Rd was owned by the Humbers until 1912.
1912-15: Helen Humber’s parents, William Bissett Pottinger (b. Orkney, SCT 1854-1931) and Euphemia (née Tyson/Hogg, b, Selkirk, SCT 1857-1916), who married in 1891 (779 Market St). [In 1921 Helen’s brother Henry David (1894-1982) married Percy’s sister, Clara Emily (1899-1975)
(3140 Balfour Av, Burnside)].
1918: Butcher James Waters married May (née Dunderdale, b. ENG 1896-1989) in what was then St. Paul’s Royal Naval Station & Garrison Church in 1915. He was a salesman for Canada Packers when he died.
1919-20: Henrietta Emma (née Batchelor, b.Victoria 1882-1938) married plumber Alfred Poppleton Hebden (b. London, ENG 1874-1919) in Nelson, BC in 1900. He died in the house of Spanish Influenza Nov. 1919. Three of their six offspring worked: George, a salesman at A.P. Slade & Co, Alfred “Roy” and Alice, clerks at Mitchell & Duncan, Jewellers.
1923: Sarah Jane Bell (née Gibson, b. Durham, ENG 1863-1941), widow of miner John Bell, and three offspring, of whom only Margaret was old enough to work; in 1921 she earned $832 a year as a chocolate dipper at Ormond’s Biscuit’s in Victoria West.
1924-28: vacant.
1929-c.1975: Sheet metal worker Ira Gibson Pringle (b. Napanee, ON 1879-1936) married Lillian Clara Louise (née Bragg, b. Victoria 1889-1983) here in 1911. After his death, son Darrell Gibson Pringle (b. Victoria 1915-1992) and Ann “Annie” (née Heaton, b. Lancs, ENG 1907-1991) lived with Lillian.
For a number of years 602 Gorge Rd E has housed the Single Parent Resource Centre.