ARCHITECTURE:
This one-storey, hip-roofed, shingled bungalow has a shallow gabled bay on the left front over an inset porch. The gable, which was originally bellcast, has a multi-light awning window, no eaves and now ends in a pent roof. Side-facing front steps with a sloped, solid shingled balustrade lead to a landing and a flat-topped, arched entry porch. Of three original banded brick chimneys, the front one is now corbelled. This simple, shingled house, built for Charlotte Brown, is one of a similar set of three. In an age before government pensions, annuities for widows were provided by investments in rental property; this was the case for 26, as well as 32 and 38 Paddon Av.
ORIGINAL OCCUPANTS:
The early history of this house is the same as that for 20 Paddon St. In an age before government pensions, annuities for widows were provided by investments in rental property; this was the case for 26 Paddon St, as well as 32 and 38 Paddon St.
OTHER OCCUPANTS:
1907-09: Andrew and Eulalie Blygh purchased 26, 32 and 38 Paddon St in 1907 and owned this house until 1909. Andrew came to Victoria from Manchester in 1898. Eulalie Stoneman, born in London, ON, may have arrived with Andrew, as they were married and living in Victoria by 1901. They moved to Vancouver soon after 1909. They must have divorced, as Andrew was remarried in 1917 to Ruby or Mollie Lee, a ballet instructor. Andrew, who first sold furniture, by 1920 was a Liquor Control Board inspector. He was a notary public and Liberal Party member, and a traveling Justice of the Peace for a time. In 1948, Andrew collapsed and died at 73 while giving a presentation to the Vancouver Centre Liberal Association.
Eulalie was a court reporter in Victoria for six years, then in Vancouver until she retired in 1950. She was one of only two women court reporters at the time. Her work took her all over the province for various trials and hearings, one of the more memorable ones being in a mineshaft due to inclement weather. She began her career as a stenographer in Victoria, but her innate skills as a listener made her a valuable addition to the judicial system. She took shorthand at 250 words a minute, twice as fast as the average business school graduate. Eulalie was a member of Royal Vancouver Yacht, Vancouver Lawn Tennis, Connaught Skating, Vancouver Riding and Marine Golf Clubs.
1910-14: Mary (Ferguson), wife of Horatio White and proprietor of the Balmoral Hotel, owned the property from 1910 until her death in 1914. Born in Glasgow in 1886, she came to Victoria in the mid-1890s with Horatio, a farmer at Stelly’s Cross Rd in South Saanich. Horatio remarried in 1916 to Olivia Hodgson.
1920s: Henry and Gertrude (Wormirsley) Burt-Smith lived here in the early- to mid-1920s. Henry was born in Melbourne, Australia, Gertrude in Scarborough, England. They came here in 1911. For many years, Henry was a wool merchant. Later he and Gertrude became antique dealers. Henry died in 1935 at 66, Gertrude in 1960 at 88.
1927-41: Charles and Gladys Ockenden lived here. Gladys Shepherd was born in Evansville, IL, in 1896, Charles in London, England, in 1882. They lived in Edmonton in 1916, when Charles was overseas with the 202nd Battalion, CEF. The Ockendens moved to Victoria in 1924, and Charles was a BC Provincial Police clerk for many years. Charles, a war amputee, was a member of the War Amputees Association.
1942-76: Alicia (Reading) Sandy lived here. Alicia and Euphemia Sandy (162 Medana St, James Bay) are the same person, but it is unknown when she changed her name. She divorced William Sandy in 1928 and he returned to England. Alicia was proprietor of the Zetland Tearooms at 647 Fort St for 33 years. The family came here from England in 1912, but fell upon hard times. Alicia befriended a wealthy benefactor, Dolly Harrison, who sold a pair of diamond earrings to raise the capital needed to open a good tearoom, which, according to Dolly, Victoria was lacking. With no business or cooking experience, Alicia taught herself and as business increased, hired a cook. The tearoom opened at noon each day, and closed in the early evening, but Alicia often worked till midnight cleaning and preparing for the next day. Many early customers were Dolly’s friends, but word-of-mouth soon brought in a diverse range of customers. Alicia retired in 1945, and lived in this house until a month before her death in 1976 at 96.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION & IMAGES:
• This Old House, Victoria’s Heritage Neighbourhoods,
Volume Two: James Bay
Recent Comments