H.T. Ceperley Estate 'Fairacres' Mansion
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Description
- 'Fairacres' is a large, two-and-one-half storey estate house in the British Arts and Crafts style, located in Deer Lake Park, with four associated original outbuildings.
- Associated Dates
- 1911
- Formal Recognition
- Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register
- Other Names
- Henry Tracy & Grace Ceperley Estate
- Burnaby Art Gallery
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Other Names
- Henry Tracy & Grace Ceperley Estate
- Burnaby Art Gallery
- Geographic Access
- Deer Lake Avenue
- Associated Dates
- 1911
- Formal Recognition
- Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register
- Enactment Type
- Bylaw No. 9807
- Enactment Date
- 23/11/1992
- Description
- 'Fairacres' is a large, two-and-one-half storey estate house in the British Arts and Crafts style, located in Deer Lake Park, with four associated original outbuildings.
- Heritage Value
- 'Fairacres' is important as a record of the early years of Burnaby, specifically the Deer Lake area, as a place of tranquility and beautiful scenery in which the wealthy and successful in the burgeoning cities of New Westminster and Vancouver chose to retire or to make their family homes. The main house, which anchors in style and setting the outbuildings on the estate, demonstrates the social, cultural, and aesthetic values of local wealthy businessmen and women of the early twentieth century - values such as appreciation of architectural elegance and grand interior spaces, leisure and recreation, formal landscaped gardens and scenic views.
Also important is the association with the English-born and trained architect Robert Mackay Fripp (1858-1917), as this was one of his grandest residential commissions. Steeped in the current architectural trends in Great Britain, Fripp designed this sprawling mansion in the Arts and Crafts style, reflected in the architectural detailing and proportions. The style was common at the time and was often used for estate mansions as a symbol of affluence and good, modern taste as well as an affinity for all things British. Quality is displayed inside and out in the finishes and materials, orchestrated by prominent local contractor, James Charles Allen, including imported English materials of specific value such as imported Medmenham tiles in the fireplace surrounds, one of the earliest documented use of these tiles outside the United Kingdom. Detailed features of the interior woodwork were carved by Scottish-born master wood carver George Selkirk Gibson (1867-1942), who was best known for his many commissions for prominent British Columbia architect Samuel Maclure.
The outbuildings at 'Fairacres' are an important record of the functioning of a large estate of the time. The Garage and Stables and the Chauffeur’s Cottage accommodated the use of automobiles, horses and carriages, and in concert with the estate's location near the new British Columbia Electric Railway 'Burnaby Lake' interurban line, illustrate the evolving nature of regional transportation and the growing bedroom communities and estates made possible by increasing options for transportation. Other outbuildings accommodated the agricultural activities that helped support the Ceperley estate.
The estate was conceived and funded by American-born Grace E. Dixon Ceperley (1863-1917), who had achieved significant wealth through a bequest from her brother-in-law, Vancouver pioneer Arthur Ferguson. Her husband, Henry Tracy Ceperley (1850-1929), also American-born, was a successful and well-respected businessman who made a significant contribution to the development of the City of Vancouver. The construction of 'Fairacres' spawned the transformation of the Deer Lake area from a farming community into a preferred location for elite suburban homes.
'Fairacres' is significant to the City of Burnaby as its first civic heritage conservation project. Acquired in 1966 for conversion to Burnaby’s first art gallery, it was dedicated in 1967 to mark Canada’s Centennial of Confederation.
- Defining Elements
- Key elements that define the heritage character of the ‘Fairacres’ mansion include its:
- setting in relation to the gardens, its former market garden, and the vistas to Deer Lake and other grand homes in the area
- side gable roof with prominent dormers and cedar shingle cladding
- verandah across the eastern (garden) facade, with its view over the landscaped gardens and the distant mountains
- porte cochere with its side steps for those arriving by automobile, and central raised step for those alighting from horse-drawn carriages
- rich variety of exterior elements that demonstrate the typical Arts and Crafts use of local materials such as cobble stone chimneys and foundations, wide wooden siding and half-timbering
- mixture of double-hung and casement wooden-sash windows, many with multi-paned sash
- lavish interior spaces, designed for entertaining on a grand scale, including a billiard room with a beamed ceiling and an inglenook fireplace, and generous living and dining rooms arranged off a central hall
- quality of the interior materials such as imported Medmenham tiles in fireplace surrounds, window hardware by Hope and Sons, and leaded stained glass
- interior wood work including the staircase, and carvings by George Selkirk Gibson
- remaining formal Edwardian garden landscape elements, including the cross-axial plan that reflects the relationship of the mansion to its 'outdoor rooms'
- Locality
- Deer Lake Park
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Douglas-Gilpin Area
- Architect
- Robert Mackay Fripp
- Builder
- James Charles Allen
- George Selkirk Gibson
- Function
- Primary Current--Museum
- Primary Historic--Estate
- Community
- Burnaby
- Cadastral Identifier
- P.I.D. No. 004-493-311
Legal Description: Block 3 Except: Part subdivided by Plan 26865, District Lot 79, Group 1, New Westminster District, Plan 536
- Boundaries
- ‘Fairacres’ is comprised of a single municipally-owned property located at 6344 Deer Lake Avenue, Burnaby.
- Area
- 17,065.00
- Contributing Resource
- Building
- Landscape Feature
- Ownership
- Public (local)
- Other Collection
- City of Burnaby, Visual Art Collection: Original rendering by R.P.S. Twizell
Burnaby Historical Society, Community Archives: Ceperley Photograph Album
Burnaby Village Museum, Collection: Carved dining room panels by G.S. Gibson and other hardware items
- Documentation
- Heritage Site Files: PC77000 20. City of Burnaby Planning and Building Department, 4949 Canada Way, Burnaby, B.C., V5G 1M2
- Names
- Ceperley, Grace
- Ceperley, H.T.
- Fripp, Robert Mackay
- Allen, James Charles
- Gibson, George Selkirk
- Subjects
- Buildings - Heritage
- Buildings - Residential - Houses
- Buildings - Residential
- Street Address
- 6344 Deer Lake Avenue
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
Less detail
H.T. Ceperley Estate 'Fairacres' Chauffeur's Cottage
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Description
- Designed in the British Arts and Crafts style, the Chauffeur's Cottage is situated across from the main entrance to the Ceperley Mansion, and adjacent to the Garage and Stables. A long, narrow single-storey building, it was constructed by joining together two modest estate cottages.
- Associated Dates
- 1911
- Formal Recognition
- Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Geographic Access
- Deer Lake Avenue
- Associated Dates
- 1911
- Formal Recognition
- Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register
- Enactment Type
- Bylaw No. 9807
- Enactment Date
- 23/11/1992
- Description
- Designed in the British Arts and Crafts style, the Chauffeur's Cottage is situated across from the main entrance to the Ceperley Mansion, and adjacent to the Garage and Stables. A long, narrow single-storey building, it was constructed by joining together two modest estate cottages.
- Heritage Value
- The outbuildings at 'Fairacres' are a rare surviving architecturally designed ensemble of agricultural structures that exist in complementary harmony with the main estate house. Architect Robert Mackay Fripp (1858-1917) was retained by the Ceperleys to design several original outbuildings on their estate at the same time as the main house was constructed.
The Chauffeur's Cottage illustrates the increasing importance of the automobile in the lives of the wealthy of the early twentieth century. It also demonstrates Grace and Henry Tracy Ceperley's social aspirations and grand-country-estate pretension in having a chauffeur. The cottage's location - close to the garage and convenient, but not adjacent, to the main house - enhances the grand country house landscape design and contributes to the overall composition of the estate's plan.
The Arts and Crafts styled Chauffeur's Cottage is important as an indicator of the aesthetic and social sensibilities of the Ceperley family in retaining an architect to design a modest building for staff accommodation.
- Defining Elements
- Key elements that define the heritage character of the 'Fairacres' Chauffeur's Cottage include its:
- location, in relation to the main house and in close proximity to the Garage and Stables buildings
- side gable roof with cedar shingle cladding
- Arts and Crafts architectural features such as the jerkin-headed door hood, a reference to the thatched-roofed cottages of southern England; eight-paned wooden-sash casement windows; and cedar-shingled exterior
- two internal brick chimneys
- modest, functional interior, with simple trim and lack of pretension
- Locality
- Deer Lake Park
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Douglas-Gilpin Area
- Architect
- Robert Mackay Fripp
- Function
- Primary Historic--Outbuilding
- Community
- Burnaby
- Cadastral Identifier
- P.I.D. No. 004-493-311
Legal Description: Block 3 Except: Part subdivided by Plan 26865, District Lot 79, Group 1, New Westminster District, Plan 536
- Boundaries
- ‘Fairacres’ is comprised of a single municipally-owned property located at 6344 Deer Lake Avenue, Burnaby.
- Area
- 17,065.00
- Contributing Resource
- Building
- Landscape Feature
- Ownership
- Public (local)
- Other Collection
- Burnaby Historical Society, Community Archives: Ceperley Photograph Album
Burnaby Village Museum, Collection: Chinese ‘Tiger Whiskey’ and opium bottles found during restoration
- Documentation
- Heritage Site Files: PC77000 20. City of Burnaby Planning and Building Department, 4949 Canada Way, Burnaby, B.C., V5G 1M2
- Names
- Ceperley, H.T.
- Ceperley, Grace
- Fripp, Robert Mackay
- Subjects
- Buildings - Heritage
- Buildings - Residential - Cottages
- Street Address
- 6344 Deer Lake Avenue
Less detail
H.T. Ceperley Estate 'Fairacres' Garage & Stables
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Description
- Designed in the British Arts and Crafts style, the ‘Fairacres’ Garage and Stables is a two-storey wood frame building located on the 'Fairacres' estate, situated to the north of the Chauffeur's Cottage; at the south end of the structure is a single vehicle garage and to the north are several stable…
- Associated Dates
- 1911
- Formal Recognition
- Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Geographic Access
- Deer Lake Avenue
- Associated Dates
- 1911
- Formal Recognition
- Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register
- Enactment Type
- Bylaw No. 9807
- Enactment Date
- 23/11/1992
- Description
- Designed in the British Arts and Crafts style, the ‘Fairacres’ Garage and Stables is a two-storey wood frame building located on the 'Fairacres' estate, situated to the north of the Chauffeur's Cottage; at the south end of the structure is a single vehicle garage and to the north are several stables for carriage, riding, and draught horses, a coach house, and tack room; the upper floor was originally a hay loft.
- Heritage Value
- The outbuildings at 'Fairacres' are a rare surviving architecturally designed ensemble of agricultural structures that exist in complementary harmony with the main estate house. Architect Robert Mackay Fripp (1858-1917) was retained by the Ceperleys to design several original outbuildings on their estate at the same time as the main house was constructed.
The Garage and Stables building is important as a record of its era when transportation modes were in transition and the horse-drawn carriage, while still in use, was giving way to the automobile. The relative spatial arrangements within the building are a valuable indication of the economy of space associated with the automobile, as compared to the horse. The extent of the stabling arrangements signifies not only the use of carriage horses but also the continued reliance on draught horses in farming activities in this era. As well, it is an indication of the fashionable nature of equestrianism for wealthy families during this time.
The building is important as a demonstration of the aesthetics of the Ceperley family in having an architect-designed outbuilding and obtaining craftsmanship and materials of the highest quality for each structure on their estate.
- Defining Elements
- Key elements that define the heritage character of the 'Fairacres' Garage and Stables include its:
- location within easy reach of the main house and in close proximity to the Chauffeur's Cottage
- floor plan with the garage at one end, close to the Chauffeur's Cottage, and stables and equine facilities at the other
- variety and complexity of the roofline, including gable wall dormers, gable-on-hip roof ends, and half-hip extensions
- Arts and Crafts architectural features of the exterior such as the shingle wall cladding articulated with a chevron-patterned course of shingles at the first floor level; casement windows; and deep eaves with additional purlins to support the overhang
- original stable doors with hand-made forged-iron door hardware
- multi-paned wooden-sash windows, some retaining original wire glass
- Locality
- Deer Lake Park
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Douglas-Gilpin Area
- Architect
- Robert Mackay Fripp
- Function
- Primary Historic--Outbuilding
- Community
- Burnaby
- Cadastral Identifier
- P.I.D. No. 004-493-311
Legal Description: Block 3 Except: Part subdivided by Plan 26865, District Lot 79, Group 1, New Westminster District, Plan 536
- Boundaries
- ‘Fairacres’ is comprised of a single municipally-owned property located at 6344 Deer Lake Avenue, Burnaby.
- Area
- 17,065.00
- Contributing Resource
- Building
- Landscape Feature
- Ownership
- Public (local)
- Other Collection
- Burnaby Historical Society, Community Archives: Ceperley Photograph Album
- Documentation
- Heritage Site Files: PC77000 20. City of Burnaby Planning and Building Department, 4949 Canada Way, Burnaby, B.C., V5G 1M2
- Names
- Ceperley, H.T.
- Ceperley, Grace
- Fripp, Robert Mackay
- Subjects
- Buildings - Agricultural - Stables
- Buildings - Heritage
- Street Address
- 6344 Deer Lake Avenue
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
Less detail
Ed Brown family home
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1915]
- Collection/Fonds
- Ed Brown Family fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 jpg. : sepia
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the Ed Brown family home. This was the first home of Ed and Jennie Brown on Royal Oak Avenue and was built by Ed. Ed can be seen sitting in the wagon with two of his daughters, Hazel and Inez, while Jennie is on the verandah. The other men in the photograph are unidentified.
Vancouver Terminus of tramway to New Westminster
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1910]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : sepia ; 10 x 12 cm on 12 x 14.5 cm backing
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of four people and a few teams of horses standing in the street next to an interurban car. A caption with the photograph reads: "Vancouver terminus of tramway to New Westminster."
Andrew Johnson house and family
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1913]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : sepia ; 11.5 x 16.5 cm, mounted on board 21.5 x 27 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Andrew M. Johnson, his wife Margaret and their child Andrew Sloane Johnson holding on to their dog, in a chauffeured car, parked in front of their house.
Boys playing in the snow
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [191-?] (date of original), copied 1992
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 8.7 x 12.6 cm print
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of three boys in the snow in front of a house. One of the boys is being pulled on a sled. These may be three of the Grant family children. Alice and George A. Grant had four sons: William (Bill), George, Heriot (Harry), and Alastair.
Ceperley touring car
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1912]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w copy negative ; 5 x 8 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the Ceperley touring car parked in driveway at the Fairacres' Mansion.
Construction of the Hastings Streetcar line extension
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1913
- Collection/Fonds
- J.W. Phillips fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w glass negative ; 11 x 15.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of British Columbia Electric Railway Company labourers constructing the Hastings Streetcar line extension along Hastings Street at Holdom. The Dunsford House, home of the Holdom family is visible on the left along with a wooden plank roadway and sidewalk, with the Holdom family standing …
Stride family home
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [between 1915 and 1920]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : sepia postcard ; 8 x 14 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photographic postcard of the exterior of the Stride family home located at Kingsway and 18th Avenue. Two people are traveling in a Model T Ford (with the top down) along the street in front of the house.
W.F. Silver house
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [ca. 1912] (date of original), copied 1986
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 8.8 x 12.5 cm print
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the exterior of the house of William F. Silver, Kingsway at Silver Avenue. An automobile, believed to be the family's 1911 Winton, is parked outside, and people are seated and standing on the right side of the photograph beside the house.
Claude and Kitty
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [between 1892 and 1914]
- Collection/Fonds
- Peers Family and Hill Family fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : sepia ; 5.5 x 8 cm on page 21.5 x 28 cm (pasted in album)
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a man in a hat and a young child riding in a horse-drawn carriage; possibly Mr. L.C. Hill and Kitty Hill being pulled by Kitty's horse Tom.
Kitty driving a horse-drawn carriage
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1910]
- Collection/Fonds
- Peers Family and Hill Family fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : sepia ; 6 x 8 cm on page 11.5 x 14 cm (pasted in album)
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Kitty Hill driving a horse-drawn carriage, most likely at the family home, Broadview, in the Burnaby Lake area.
Phillips family
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [191-] (date of original), copied 1992
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 8.6 x 12.6 cm print
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the Phillips family, parents and two children, in a horse and buggy.
Brook family home
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1919
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 6.9 x 11.4 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the exterior of the Brook family home at 7979 12th Avenue, East Burnaby. This house later became the Normanna Rest Home, 7725 4th Street.
Brook family house
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1919
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 6.9 x 11.3 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the exterior of the Brook family home at 7979 12th Avenue, East Burnaby. This house later became the Normanna Rest Home, 7725 4th Street.
Boy with baby in a carriage
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- August 1914
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a boy in a smock standing beside a baby in a carriage. There is a crocheted blanket over the baby. Visible in the background are barrels and laundry drying on lines. The inscription on the photograph identifies the children as Christopher and Elspeth, and dates it August 1914. Their r…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w
- Material Details
- inscribed in black ink, verso, t. "Christopher &/ Elspeth./ August.1914."
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a boy in a smock standing beside a baby in a carriage. There is a crocheted blanket over the baby. Visible in the background are barrels and laundry drying on lines. The inscription on the photograph identifies the children as Christopher and Elspeth, and dates it August 1914. Their relationship to Burnaby is not known.
- Subjects
- Transportation - Carriages
- Accession Code
- BV985.5756.1
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- August 1914
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Scan Resolution
- 600
- Scan Date
- 2024-01-23
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
Less detail
Child on Douglas Road sidewalk
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1915 or 1916] (date of original), copied 1991
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 4.5 x 3.4 cm print on contact sheet 20.6 x 26.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a child in a baby carriage on a board sidewalk on Douglas Road.
Thais Bonnett in her Oriole cart
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1918 (date of original), copied 1992
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 8.7 x 12.7 cm print
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Thais Bonnett in her "Oriole" cart.