ARCHITECTURE:
This symmetrical, two-storey, shallow-hip-roofed, Italianate house has a tall, narrow, hip-roofed dormer on each side. There are multiple brackets with pendants in the eaves of both the roof and dormers. Each side dormer is flanked by two tall, corbelled, brick chimneys. There is an extension on the rear of the building. Two full-height, angled bays beneath shallow hips on the front façade are separated by a window on the upper floor and the main entrance on the lower. The full-width, hipped roof of the verandah separates the upper and lower floors; the roof is supported on panelled square posts. There was originally no balustrade. The keystone-arched entrance leads to the recessed entry door and transom, which are also arched, with sidelights. The interior walls and ceiling of the verandah are panelled. The exterior is clad in drop siding with moulded corner boards. In 1885, this residence cost $9,000. In 1994-95 the house was moved closer to and turned to face Gorge Rd instead of the water. It now contains three condo units. [The design has been attributed to John Teague, but there is no evidence that he was the architect.]
ORIGINAL OWNERS:
1885-1916: Charles William Ringler-Thomson (b. London, ENG 1827-1916) married Matilda (née Midwinter, b. Kent, ENG 1823-1916) in San Francisco in 1860. He left England for the California goldrush in 1859 but ended up on Vancouver Island, where he became a mule merchant providing pack animals in the Cariboo. He became secretary and eventually manager of Victoria Gas Co (502 Pembroke St, Burnside), established in 1859, where he earned the affectionate title of “Gasworks Thomson.” Other interests included real estate and finance as a partner in BC Loan Co. The Thomsons lived here until 1916 when both succumbed to bronchitis a day apart during the bitterly cold winter. 1916-22: Janet Ringler-Thomson, his sister, was left the $1 million estate. She left the house vacant for nearly two years.
OTHER OCCUPANTS:
c.1919-21: Poultry farmer Josiah Derbyshire Rylands (b. Lancs, ENG 1873-1933) and Agnes (née Croston, b. Liverpool, ENG 1874-1959) rented the house. They relocated to Multnomah, Portland, OR, USA where they both died.
1922-38: Charles Drummond-Hay (b. Bombay, India 1856-1926), son of Lt-Col Thomas Robert Hay Drummond-Hay of 78th Highlanders in India, married Alena (née Cropley, b. Forest City, NB 1869-1952) in Argyle, MB in 1885. Charles grew up in Jersey, UK with grandparents Edward William Auriol Hay and Louisa Margaret Ringler-Thomson, a connection to the original owners of The Dingle, then St. Helena, South Atlantic, governed by his uncle, Sir Edward Drummond-Hay. When his father became Commandant of Edinburgh Castle, Charles returned to SCT for his education, then served with Cape Mounted Rifles in SA. He came to Souris, MB in 1882 to farm, then retired here in 1918. He was a member of the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club and Masonic Order. Alena lived here with daughter Doreen Gwendolen Drummond-Hay (b. Belmont, MB 1909-1986) until 1938 and was resident at 1419 Fort St (Rockland) when she died.
1939-47: Ernest Llewellyn Cotton (b. Ashwater, Devon, ENG 1887-1958) and Alice Maud (née Carradice, b. Skipton, Yorks, ENG 1893-1973) married in Vancouver in 1916; lived in the house on and off, and roomed together or singularly at 544 Dallas Rd (James Bay) before divorcing. He came here in 1913, was a dairyman when he married, and worked in real estate until retiring in 1954.
1947-48: Bruce Warren Passmore (b. Lafleche, SK 1922-1994) married Gladys “Gladie” Caroline (née Rathwell, b. Moose Jaw, SK 1922-2003) in Rochester, MN, USA in 1943 and moved here in 1945. He bought Langford Speedway from Jack Taylor in 1946, established Speedway Auto Sales in 1951, then Speedway Motors, first Volkswagen dealership in the area in 1953. He was a member of the Auto Hall of Fame. Both were members of Capital City Yacht Club.
1949-50: Ronald Merton Beatty (b. Chauvin, AB 1920-1983) and Evelyn “Grace” Victoria (née Cardy, c.1924-c.1990). He almost burned the house down after accidentally setting the greenhouse on fire.
1951-75: Redwood Park Motel: Lt-Col Joseph Pierre Joachim Godreau (b. Montmagny, QC 1901-1954) married his third wife, Jacqueline “Jacquie” Louise (née Waddington, b. Merritt, ON 1922-2019) in Carson City, NV, USA in 1954. He joined the CEF underage in 1916, went overseas with 171st Battalion, transferred to 24th Victoria Rifles and was released two years later. During WWII he was Commandant of Montmagny Military Camp. He was granted permission to build an auto court on the 12-acre property. She worked from 1951 as VP of the motel, continuing to manage it after Godreau died six months after their marriage. She then became a civil servant. The motel was demolished in 1975.
Dingle House Restaurant opened in the old house in 1963 and lasted into the 1980s.
*Partial credit to Paul G. Chamberlain, The Dingle House: A Century of Ghosts, Kings & Celebrities, Victoria, Dingle House Press, 2000.