Heritage Register
Rockland
942-44 St. Charles Street
Wilmar
Built
1909-10
Heritage-Designated 2001
For: William & Mary Todd
Architect: Samuel Maclure
Contractor: George Calder
ARCHITECTURE:
Wilmar is a two-storey, Mission-style
Arts & Crafts house; the Mission
style is unusual for Victoria: see
also 2667 Empire Av, Oaklands. It
has many levels of multiple bellcast
hipped roofs, with wide eaves and two
dormers. Mission details include the
red tile roof, the arcaded porte-cochère
in front and arcaded porches on the
left side and the rear. The porch on
the left side has a pergola to its right
and a balustraded balcony above. The
porte-cochère has a bellcast hipped roof. The upper floor
has Tudor Revival stucco and
half-timbering, and banks of
multi-paned leaded lights under
the eaves. The lower floor is
stuccoed. In a box bay on the
right side, there was a good
arched stained glass window, now
replaced, depicting a landscape
with windmill; it was made by
William Morris & Co (Ruskin
House), which is not the wellknown
Morris & Co.
ORIGINAL OCCUPANTS:
William Charles Todd (1885-
1942) was born in Victoria to
Charles Fox and Louisa Todd
(Illahie, 1041 St. Charles St). In
1910 on the grounds of Illahie, he married Mary Chatwin
Butchart (1886-1972), second daughter of Robert Pim and
Jennie (McLaughlin) Butchart (906 St. Charles St; 1737
Rockland Av). Wilmar is a contraction of William and
Mary’s first names.
William was secretary-treasurer of J.H. Todd & Sons,
wholesale
grocers,
provisioners
and salmon
processors
under the name
Horseshoe
Brand Salmon,
founded by his
grandfather,
Jacob Hunter Todd (see Harris Green History), who died
in 1899. William’s father Charles took over the firm and
operated it with his two sons, William and Ernest. William
was managing director by the early 1930s and assumed
presidency of the firm after Charles died in 1941, but died
himself the following year. William’s younger son Derek,
who was born in 1921,
started working in the firm
in 1945, after his discharge
from the RCAF at the end
of 30 bombing missions.
Because of climate change
and possibly overfishing,
J.H. Todd & Sons was
bankrupt by the early 1950s.
The assets, including six
canneries and the fish traps,
were divided and sold to BC
Packers and the Canadian
Fishing Co.
William and his father
were generous donors to the
Royal Jubilee Hospital. He
and Mary had a country home
in the Highlands district that
is still in the family. Mary
Todd remained in 944 until 1951, then moved into a suite in her sister’s house at 906 St.
Charles St, where she died in 1972.
944 was triplexed in 1952. It was turned into condos
with added townhouses in 2004.
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
