Heritage Register
Fernwood

1276 Walnut Street

Built 1922
Heritage-Designated 2002 including garage

For: William & Elizabeth Kirkbride
Builder: Joseph Le Sueur

ARCHITECTURE:

This is a 1½ storey, front-gabled Edwardian Vernacular Arts & Crafts house, a type which was popular prior to WWI. However, this example lacks the roof dormers. The steeply pitched roof has wide eaves and exposed raftertails. There are bracketed, cantilevered box bays on both sides towards the rear. The bays are shallow and sheltered under the eaves. The box bay on the right front is also shallow and bracketed, and under a pent roof. The inset entry porch to the left has one square post on a solid balustrade. A walkway leading down to the basement entrance is to the left of the porch. The detached garage, also designated heritage, has a shallow-pitched, front-gabled roof. The house is clad in double-bevelled siding, the garage in drop siding. The wire front gates are original.

ORIGINAL OCCUPANTS:

In 1912 Joseph Le Sueur (1272 Walnut St) built 1280 Walnut on the lot to the east for Ephraim Barker and Harriette Ann Kirkbride and their family, newly-arrived from Australia. Ephraim and Harriette had emigrated from England to Charters Towers, Queensland, at least as early as 1887, and their sons were all born there. Three of their four sons signed up in 1917 for the CEF during WWI.

1922-1940: Le Sueur built 1276 Walnut for their son William Alfred Kirkbride (1887-1978) and his English warbride Elizabeth (née Batey, b. ENG, 1885-1953), who arrived in Victoria in 1919. William was a BCER street car conductor for 40 years. After Elizabeth died, he married Rosina Hawker.

Ephraim was a BCER teamster and labourer. Following his death in 1939, Harriette lived in 1280 with their unmarried son Ephraim. She died in 1951. Ephraim Jr was a machinist, tailor and then a blacksmith’s helper for four years until his death in 1949. Son Arthur was a shipper and packer. Son Albert, a BCER motorman, didn’t go to war but married Corinthia Weltha Alexander in 1915. Corinthia was the eldest sister of Bart Alexander (1324 Balmoral Rd, Fernwood).

OTHER OCCUPANTS:

1940-2000: Henry “Harry” Alexander Wilby (b. Victoria 1899-2000) and Annie (née Waterhouse, b. ENG 1901-1958) were married in 1928. Harry was an auto mechanic with Begg Motors and Annie worked for Stocker’s Automobile Express & Messenger Delivery Co when they married. [Note: Harry’s grandparents Henry Edward and Elizabeth Antoinette Wilby were born in Oporto, Portugal, of English parents. In 1849 Henry sailed to San Francisco, CA, with a small vessel laden with supplies for the gold miners. Eliza followed him in 1853 and they were married on board the USM Panama in San Francisco harbour. They came to Victoria in 1859, then moved to Esquimalt in 1863. Henry started the Victoria Esquimalt Express Service, and operated a small general store with Esquimalt’s first post office. He continued to travel to San Francisco and Oporto, and died in Oporto. The Wilbys’ son William, Harry’s father, was born and died in Victoria. William wrote a history of his parents’ lives and exploits.]

Annie died in 1958 leaving Harry with three young children. In 1965 he married divorcée Mary Ralph Millan (née Peters, b. Maple Creek, SK, 1912-2005). She came to Victoria in 1937, worked as a waitress and married fireman Frank Millan in 1939. He went off to fight during WWII and Mary became a “Rosie the Riveter” in the Boeing aircraft plant here in Victoria. She lived on Walnut St from the early 1940s, and later divorced Frank. When Mary married Harry Wilby, she sold 1256 Walnut St to her daughter Beverley (Millan) Wygeria and her husband Les.

Harry Wilby died in 2000 and Mary moved into the Aberdeen Hospital in 2002. Her daughter Bev sold 1276 to Hal MacNaughton and Mickey King, the owners of Joseph Le Sueur’s family house at 1272 Walnut St.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION & IMAGES:

• Fernwood History

• Fernwood Heritage Register

• This Old House, Victoria's Heritage Neighbourhoods,
Volume One: Fernwood & Victoria West