ARCHITECTURE:
In-fill has virtually obscured this late example of British Arts & Crafts Tudor Revival genre. This is further complicated by the Montgomery address, though it faces and is approached from Despard. This is a two-storey house; the roof is gabled and steeply hipped with side gables and exposed rafter-tails. There are two front-facing gables, the right proud of the left, each with half-timbering and banks of five windows. A shallow, hip-roofed box bay on the main floor left has a bank of five casement windows with transoms. The front porch on the right has three Tudor arches on a rubble stone balustrade. There’s a gabled, half-timbered garage on Montgomery. The cost for the 10-room house and garage was $15,000. This property was originally part of the Joseph Despard Pemberton estate
ORIGINAL OCCUPANTS:
1928-41: Victoria businessman Gilbert Goodwin Fraser (b. Liverpool, ENG 1885-1957) and Millicent Greasley (née Newby, b. Liverpool, ENG 1880-1951). Gilbert came to Victoria in 1897, Millicent in 1890 and they married in 1910. After completing his education, Gilbert entered the family firm, Walter S. Fraser & Co, wholesale hardware dealers. In 1928 he became an agent with Royal Trust then with Royal Agencies until retiring in 1955. Millicent’s father, Capt. John Newby, Master Mariner, commanded barque Tiger, delivering general cargo around the Pacific for De Wolf & Sons, Liverpool; he later became head of pilotage here. In 1951 Frasers moved to #7, 1860 Crescent Rd; daughter Marianne Millicent Fraser (b. 1912) died there in 1970..
OTHER OCCUPANTS:
1941-47: Brig-Gen (Ret’d) Ernest Charles Ashton, CB, CMG, VD (b. Brantford, ON 1873-1956) and Helen Margaret (née Weir, b. London, ON 1874-1960) married in 1905. He was Chief of General Staff and head of Canadian Army from 1935-1938. They moved here when he retired in 1941 after 48 years of service. He trained in medicine at Trinity University, Toronto, graduated in 1898, and practised in hospitals throughout Ontario until1915. In the early 1890s he was a member of Dufferin Rifles of Canada, Lt-Col by 1907, and commanded that regiment for five years, then transferred to the Reserves in 1912. When WWI broke out, he organized the 36th Battery, CEF. In 1916, he became CO of Canadian Militia and Reserve Canadian Brigades in England. In 1917 he was promoted to Brig-Gen and given command of 15th Canadian Infantry Division. He was Chief of Canadian Staff, Canadian Army 1935-39. In 1939 he was given a special appointment to re-organize Army Medical Services and was made Inspector General of Canadian Military Forces. The Ashton Armoury and Museum, 724 Vanalman Av, Saanich is named for him.
1949-67: William “Bill” Frederick Pinfold (b. Lynn, MA, 1893-1967) and Marion La Rose (née McKittrick, b. Winnipeg, MB 1893-1972) married in Winnipeg in 1923. He came to Canada in 1913 with his father and settled in Alberta where they worked as laundrymen with New Method Laundry. He came here in 1926 as president of New Method, a position he held until 1946. Bill was a Victoria alderman 1949-56, and a Rotarian for 40 years. They retired to Qualicum Beach where he died a week later.