Heritage Register
Rockland

1320 Rockland Avenue
Galt House

Built 1913-14
Heritage-Designated 1985

For: Frederick & Abigail Nation

Architect: Samuel Maclure
Contractor: Nelson Benneck & Son

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.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION & IMAGES:

• Map of Victoria's Heritage Register Properties

• Rockland History

• Rockland Heritage Register


• This Old House, Victoria's Heritage Neighbourhoods,
Volume Three: Rockland, Burnside, Harris Green,
Hillside-Quadra, North Park & Oaklands