1320 Rockland Avenue

ARCHITECTURE:

Galt House is a 2½-storey British Arts & Crafts Tudor Revival mansion; Maclure’s name became synonymous with this style. It has a steeply-hipped roof with exposed rafter tails, many shed-roofed dormers, and one gabled dormer on the main Gillespie Pl façade. There is a large 2½-storey, half-timbered, gabled bay on the Rockland Av façade, with bracketed bargeboards and a drop finial. It has an angled bay on the main floor below an angled balcony; to the right is a large square balcony over a glassed-in main floor extension. The balustraded porte-cochère on the Gillespie façade has tall, square granite piers. There is a open wrap-around verandah to the right which continues to the angled bay. The masonry on the ground floor is dark grey granite with light coloured quoins. The second floor above a wooden belt course is clad in roughcast stucco, as are the several wide chimney stacks. A number of windows feature large central single panes with sidelights and transoms of leaded glass. The garage has a frontgabled roof with roughcast stucco and half-timbering in the gable, over a jettied beam supported on chunky brackets which Maclure called corbels. The 16-room house was built for $30,000. Galt House is named for the second owners.

ORIGINAL OCCUPANTS:

1915-20: Frederick Nation (b. Ontario 1861- 1955) and Abigail Geach (née Bowden, 1866-1920) lived here until Abigail’s death. Frederick lived in Manitoba for many years, and founded a department store in Brandon. He was a director of the Great West Life Assurance Co before coming to Victoria in 1910. During WWI he was secretary of the Canadian Patriotic Fund, a group that organized war bond drives. By 1920, he was retired.

OTHER OCCUPANTS:

1920-44: John Galt (b. Montreal 1856-1933) and Mabel Patton (née Henderson, 1866-1944) retired to Victoria in 1920. John was a former president of the Union Bank. They lived their remaining days in this house.

1943-46: The house was converted to 10 suites by Mabel Galt, then operated by May Ethel Cherry (née Cottle, b. London, ENG 1887-1968). From 1928-52 May managed several converted mansions in Rockland, including 1195 Fort St, 1385 Manor Rd, 834 Pemberton Rd and 1337 Rockland Av. She had previously lived at 1141 Fort St, Fairfield.