Heritage Register
Rockland
1004 Terrace Avenue (ex-4 Terrace Av)
The Eyrie
Built
1898; 1912-13
Heritage-Registered
For: Janet & George Mesher; Arthur Vowell
Architects/Contractor: George C. Mesher & Co (1898); Samuel Maclure (1912-12)
ARCHITECTURE:
This Queen Anne cottage was originally designed
with a gable-on-bellcast-hipped roof with half-timbering
in the peak, and a wraparound verandah with turned
supports. This typical turn-of-the-century construction
would appear consistent with the home having been built
by architect/contractor George C. Mesher. The house was
sold in 1901 to A.W. Vowell who dubbed it The Eyrie,
likely because of its perch on a knoll. In 1912-13 Vowell
employed architect Samuel Maclure to complete some
renovations to the home that included exterior alterations
to provide a more modern Arts & Crafts design style.
A portion of the verandah was enclosed for use as a
conservatory and the Victorian supports were replaced
with square posts. Surviving drawings indicate repairs to
the foundation, and reconstruction of the chimneys with
more elaborate corbels and the addition of an extra stack.*
ORIGINAL OCCUPANTS:
1898-1901: Janet Elizabeth Mesher (née MacDonald1870-1946) was the original owner of this property. She and
her husband, George Charles Mesher (1860-1938) lived at 154
South Turner St, James Bay, when this house was built.
OTHER OCCUPANTS:
1901-18: Arthur Wellesley Vowell (1839-1918), the earliest recorded resident, was born and educated in
Ireland, and served two years in the Irish Militia. Arthur
arrived in Victoria in 1862 and sought gold in the Cariboo.
Unsuccessful, he returned to Victoria and worked as a
labourer until joining the Civil Service in 1864. From
1866-72 he was chief constable at Big Bend, BC, where
mine riots were frequent. During the 1870s and 1880s,
Arthur served as Gold Commissioner, Stipendiary
Magistrate, and Assistant Commissioner of Lands and
Works throughout the BC interior. He had a brief stint as
MLA for the Kootenay District in the mid-1870s. In 1889
Arthur entered the service of the Dominion Government
as Superintendent of Indian Affairs and later Reserve
Commissioner for BC. He resigned from this position in
1910 and retired to Victoria. Shortly after commissioning
Samuel Maclure to complete the renovations to his home,
he also commissioned him to design a new and larger
Arts & Crafts Bungalow which was never built.* In 1918
Arthur shot himself in this house, after a long and painful
illness which he described as “worse than 40 deaths.”
1921-24: David Leeming (b. Manchester, ENG 1876-
1939) and Amy Theresa (née McKenzie, b.Victoria 1881-1958) married in 1908. David came to Victoria in 1894, and
he worked in real estate and customs. In 1922-23 he was
a member of Victoria City Council, then served as mayor
from 1931-36. David was for many years president or a
director of the Victoria & Island Publicity Bureau, an active
member of the Chamber of Commerce and was president of
the Victoria Real Estate Board at the time of his death.
1925-45: Lt.-Gen. Sir Percy Henry Noel Lake (b.
Wales 1855-1940) was educated at Uppingham School,
Rutland, ENG. Joining the militia in the early 1870s, he
served in the 1878-79 Afghan War. His first Canadian
appointment was as Quartermaster-General of the militia
in 1894-98; from 1904-08 he was Chief of General Staff.
He became Chief of General Staff for India in 1912, and
by 1916 was commanding the army in Mesopotamia.
Percy retired in 1919 and came to Victoria in 1923 with
his wife Lady Hester Fanny (née Woodyer, 1852-1945).
1948-51: The house was converted to suites, and
Aeta and Thomas H. Irving lived here until 1951.
1949-
60s: Retired Commander Charles Taschereau Beard (b.
Ottawa 1890-1950) and his wife Kathleen Adele (née
Kemp). Kathleen remained in the house many years after
Charles’s death. Charles was sent to England in 1897
to get a maritime education. He returned to Canada and
joined the RCN in 1910, and served overseas during both
World Wars. In 1922 he became Senior Naval Officer,
Esquimalt, and Captain of Naden. Later he held various
posts at RCN Headquarters, including Director of both
Naval Reserves and Naval Operations. He returned to
Naden as Commanding Officer in 1936. In WWII, Charles
commanded the HMCS Prince Robert, stationed off the
coast of Mexico, where the vessel captured the enemy ship
Weser. After retiring, Charles represented Esquimalt in the
BC Legislature for six years.
*Maclure research & writing by Jim Wolf
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
