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
Edmonds Interurban station
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1912] (date of original), copied [between 1975 and 1985]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w negative ; 8.2 x 10.8 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of an automobile at the Edmonds Interurban Station. A man appears to be changing the car tires, and three men are on the station platform.
Patterson Avenue Station
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1915]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 6.1 x 10.7 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the Patterson Avenue Interurban station (the two shelters in the centre of the photograph). There are fences in foreground and Central Park can be seen in the background. There is snow. An annotation on the back of the photograph reads, "Patterson Interurban Station / B.C. Electric."
Waplington children at Sapperton Interurban station
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1917 (date of original), copied 1986
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.7 x 17.8 cm print
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of (left to right) John Waplington (brother), Grace Waplington (sister) and Frances Louise Waplington (sister) at Sapperton Interurban station on the Burnaby Lake line. Some central Burnaby residents attended St. Mary's Anglican church in Sapperton.
CPR Depot, Barnet, BC
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [191-]
- Collection/Fonds
- LaFavor Family fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : sepia postcard ; 8.5 x 14 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photographic postcard depicting a train at the C.P.R. Depot in Barnet Village, Burnaby.
Post Office and CPR Depot
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [between 1908 and 1911]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : sepia ; 6.1 x 10.7 cm, mounted on album page 13.5 x 18.3 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a waterfront area in downtown Vancouver; the post office is visible to the left and the CPR depot to the right. The north shore can be seen faintly across Burrard Inlet in the background. A caption written on the album page in white ink reads, "Post Office and C.P.R. Depot / From Roo…
Canadian Pacific Railway Depot
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [between 1908 and 1911]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : sepia ; 8.0 x 10.2 cm, mounted on paper 13.5 x 12.2 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of (in the foreground, centre) the Canadian Pacific Railway depot, Vancouver with Burrard Inlet in the background. The north shore can be seen faintly across the water. An annotation reads, "C.P.R. Depot and Burrard Inlet / From Rogers Bldg."
Boundary Road and Hastings Street vicinity
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1915 (date of original), copied 1986
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.7 x 17.8 cm print
- Scope and Content
- Photograph taken in Vancouver on Hastings Street looking east toward Burnaby and Boundary Road. The Hastings Street British Columbia Electric Railway (BCER) cars can be seen labouring up the hill.
Edmonds and Kingsway
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1913
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : sepia ; 7 x 12 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the railway junction and hydro poles at Edmonds and Kingsway, and the "triangle block" on the far right. A touring car is visible moving though the backgound.
Edmonds and Kingsway
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1912 (date of original), copied [1997]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 9 x 12 cm print
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the area near the Edmonds and Kingsway intersection. A British Columbia Electric Railway Company tram is visible in the centre and the station can be seen to the left.
Edmonds and Kingsway tramline
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1913
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : sepia ; 8 x 13 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the railway junction and hydro poles at Edmonds and Kingsway, with the "triangle block" on the left. A tram is visible moving along the snow covered line to New Westminister, via East Burnaby.
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."
First Burnaby Lake tram through Burnaby Deer Lake station
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1911]
- Collection/Fonds
- Peers Family and Hill Family fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : sepia ; 5.7 x 8 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the first Interurban tram going though the Deer Lake station in the Burnaby Lake area.
Hastings Streetcar
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1913 or 1914]
- 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 the Hastings Streetcar taken at the terminus of the Hastings Streetcar line at Ellesmere Avenue in North Burnaby. Two men in uniform and a boy dressed in a suit and hat are at the head of the car, looking towards the camera. A horse-drawn cart full of cordwood is visible in the backgr…
Hastings Streetcar
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1913 or 1914]
- 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 the Hastings Streetcar taken at the terminus of the Hastings Streetcar line at Ellesmere Avenue in North Burnaby. Two men in uniform are at the doorway of the car, while other men are at the platform, wearing three-piece suits and hats; one of these men is standing on the protective s…
Hastings Streetcar
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1913 or 1914]
- 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 the Hastings Streetcar taken at the terminus of the Hastings Streetcar line at Ellesmere Avenue in North Burnaby. Two men in uniform are at the doorway of the car, while other men are at the platform, wearing three-piece suits and hats; one of these men is standing on the protective s…
Railroad conductors
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1913] (date of original), copied 1986
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.7 x 17.8 cm print
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of (left) No. 1 motorman Adam Taylor, and John William "Jack" Holmes. The streetcar travelled from Boundary Road to Ellesmere Avenue along Hastings Street.