ARCHITECTURE:
A front-gabled, 1½-storey Edwardian house, this has a cantilevered box bay to the left and a balconied porch to the right. A slightly recessed entrance has an elaborate window on each side of a glazed door and front-facing steps. The main floor is shingled and the gable above has a band of half-timbering under a shingled apex. The box bay has a large window composed of four casements with a transom of leaded art glass showing an arcade of four arches. [Like 604 & 809 Linden Av (Rockland), this box-bay assemby is a Sharp trademark.] Each side of the roof has a large shed dormer. Below on the south side is a sun porch and on the north side is a brick exterior fireplace chimney and a box bay. Square wooden columns on shingled piers support the porch roof which at the upper level has an elaborate modern wooden slat railing. The lower level of the porch has substantial vase shaped balusters. Brackets under the eaves of the porch are echoed by smaller ones under the box bay eaves. The roof finial and pendant, like the porch balusters, are square in cross section. Fancy shingles are used prominently in the front gable and the roof over the box bay. The house cost $3,000.
ORIGINAL OCCUPANTS:
Kendrick Sharp (810 Linden Av, Fairfield) built it as speculative housing, and sold it to the Bennets. Frank Albert (1862-1916) and Mary Ingram (Russell, 1872-1962) Bennet lived at 32 Paddon St (James Bay) until this house was built. Frank was a well-known Victoria barrister. Born in Chatham, NB, Frank completed his undergraduate studies at the University of New Brunswick, and was called to the Bar in 1884. In 1889 he came to BC. He became managing clerk at Fell & Gregory and remained with that firm until his death. Mary was born in Newcastle, NB, where she married Frank in 1903 before coming to Victoria. She lived in this house until about 1925.
OTHER OCCUPANTS:
Carew O. and Helen A. Martin lived here from the late 1920s until c.1940. Carew was a barrister and partner in White & Martin. Harriet B. Watson, a widow, bought the house in 1941 and lived here briefly. Retirees William and Hannah Boyle were here in 1943.
By 1946, siblings Col. Hugh MacIntyre Urquhart (1880 -1950) and Elizabeth Urquhart (1882-1968) had bought the house. They previously lived at 855 Pemberton Rd (Rockland) and 1008 Carberry Gardens (Rockland). Hugh and Elizabeth were natives of Scotland and came to Canada in 1908. Hugh was a retired soldier of the Canadian Scottish Regiment (CSR), and was decorated Commander, Royal Victorian Order upon his retirement. He also published a biography of Arthur Currie in 1950. Upon his death in 1950 he was buried with full military honours at Christ Church Cathedral. Elizabeth lived in the house until her death in 1968.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION & IMAGES:
• This Old House, Victoria’s Heritage Neighbourhoods,
Volume Four: Fairfield, Gonzales & Jubilee
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