ARCHITECTURE:

This little cottage is more complex than it first appears, as modifications and additions mask the original 1-storey Queen Anne bungalow. Probably built in a simple L-shape with a bay on the south side, the house was likely raised in the 1920s, when a garage was added. This slightly diminished the box bay, and that virtually disappeared when another room was added over the garage. A 1960s photo also shows that the original shed-roofed porch had been enclosed, to further expand the house. Both front and side gables originally had decorative strips applied to the bargeboards, some of which survive.

ORIGINAL OCCUPANTS:

Contractor carpenter John William Bolden (1863-1938) built this house for himself and his wife Lylia and children. The Boldens resided here until about 1901, when they moved to the Oaklands neighbourhood, although John continued paying taxes on the property until 1907. Born in England, John came to Canada in 1885, and to Victoria c.1891. Son James William Bolden (1885-1906) married Millicent Mary Davies in June 1906, but died just two months later. Daughter Gertrude Lylia Bolden married Lionel James Greaves in 1919 and moved to Tacoma, WA. Youngest daughter Irene Dora Bolden married John George M. Lock in 1932 and moved to Nelson, BC.

OTHER OCCUPANTS:

Various tenants occupied this house for the next several years until Alice Eliza Miller (c.1844-1932) bought the house in 1908. A native of Dublin, Ireland, she came to Canada in 1895 and lived here until 1926.

From 1927 until the early 1940s, many different families lived in this house. Mrs A. Hodge was here in 1929, followed by Conrad Jones in 1931 and W.S. Anderson in 1933-34. Carl and Agnes Clara (Hopkins) Payne lived here 1935-40. Carl was proprietor of the Star Barber Shop. He married Agnes in Vancouver in 1934. Retiree William H. King lived here 1941-43.

Retired couple Oliver (1879-1963) and Bertha (Harding, then McDonald, 1880-1972) Robinson bought this house by 1946, after moving here from Alberta. Born in Bedford, England, Oliver came to Canada in 1919 and worked for Calgary’s Water Works Department for 40 years. Bertha left this house shortly after Oliver died.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION & IMAGES:

• Fairfield History

• Fairfield Heritage Register

• Royal BC Museum Archives

• This Old House, Victoria’s Heritage Neighbourhoods,
Volume Four: Fairfield, Gonzales & Jubilee