The E.W. Bateman House is a one-and-one-half storey wood-frame residence set within in a garden landscape. The house and its adjacent garage are the only historic buildings standing on their original site within the Burnaby Village Museum property.
The E.W. Bateman House is a one-and-one-half storey wood-frame residence set within in a garden landscape. The house and its adjacent garage are the only historic buildings standing on their original site within the Burnaby Village Museum property.
Heritage Value
The E.W. Bateman House was constructed in the Deer Lake Crescent subdivision, that was originally promoted in 1911 as an upper class suburban neighbourhood. It represents one of the first residential developments in the City of Burnaby that required buildings to be of a specific value, thus demonstrating the desire for exclusivity among the successful businessmen who chose to settle in the area.
The house and grounds illustrate the reduced scale of upper-class residential construction at a time of modest returning prosperity that followed the end of the First World War, and the social, cultural, lifestyle and leisure sensibilities of the owners in the Deer Lake Crescent subdivision: such values as social aspiration, racial exclusivity, demonstration of architectural taste, and importance of a landscaped garden.
The heritage value of the E.W. Bateman House is its comprehensive representation of an upper middle-class suburban residence of the early 1920s. It was built for retired CPR executive Edwin Wettenhall Bateman (1859-1957) and his wife, Mary (Dale) Bateman (1865-1935), by contractor William Dodson in 1922. The Bateman House was designed by English-born and trained architect Enoch Evans (1862-1939) of E. Evans and Son, and is an important surviving residential design by Evans, and a typical example of the eclectic Period Revival influences that were common to domestic architecture in the post-First World War era. The symmetry of the imposing front verandah, supported by exaggerated Ionic columns, gives the relatively-modest house an image of grandeur and formality. Named after Edwin Bateman’s birthplace in Cheshire, England, ‘Elworth’ also symbolizes allegiance to England and the patriotic tenor of the time.
The heritage value for this house also lies in its interpretive value within the Burnaby Village Museum. The site is an important cultural feature for the interpretation of Burnaby’s heritage to the public. The E.W. Bateman House was purchased by Burnaby in 1970 and became the focal point for the development of the Museum. Both the interior and exterior of the house have been restored and interpreted to the date of original construction, including recreated room interiors and period furnishings.
Defining Elements
The elements that define the heritage character of the E.W. Bateman House include its:
- rectangular form and massing with central entry on long side
- side gable roof with front shed dormer with cedar shingle cladding
- symmetry of front facade
- full open front verandah inset under the roofline, supported with Ionic columns
- cedar shingle siding
- multi-paned double-hung wooden-sash windows, mixture of 6-over-1 and 8-over-1
- symmetrical disposition of fenestration, with double-assembly units on the ground floor
- exterior shutters
- two flanking brick chimneys on the side elevations
- interior room layouts and original interior features such as quality millwork and original hardware
- original garage at the rear of the house
Photograph of Edwin Wettenhall Bateman's Elworth house under construction. Husband and wife Edwin and Mary Bateman are sitting on the unfinished porch with two unidentified women.
Photograph of Edwin Wettenhall Bateman's Elworth house under construction. Husband and wife Edwin and Mary Bateman are sitting on the unfinished porch with two unidentified women.
Photograph of Edwin Wettenhall Bateman's Elworth house under construction. Husband and wife Edwin and Mary Bateman are at the unfinished front steps with an unidentified woman.
Photograph of Edwin Wettenhall Bateman's Elworth house under construction. Husband and wife Edwin and Mary Bateman are at the unfinished front steps with an unidentified woman.
This portion of the interview pertains to Warren McWilliam's memories of his grandparent's home, Elworth and his grandmother, Mary (Dale) Bateman. He also mentions his childhood friends in the neighbourhood.
This portion of the interview pertains to Warren McWilliam's memories of his grandparent's home, Elworth and his grandmother, Mary (Dale) Bateman. He also mentions his childhood friends in the neighbourhood.
Date Range
1920-1930
Photo Info
Warren McWilliams in E. W. Bateman's McLaughlin-Buick, 1919. Item no. BV994.22.4
Recording is of an interview with Warren McWilliams. Major themes discussed are: Elworth and his grandparents, Edwin and Mary (Dale) Bateman.
Biographical Notes
When Warren McWilliam's grandfather, Edwin Bateman was twenty-one he immigrated to Manitoba, Canada where he met Catherine “Cassie” Dale. They were married in 1886 and had seven children, the eldest Edna Caroline Annie (Corner) born in 1889, George, Mamie Dale (McWilliams) born in Portage La Prairie in 1892, Marianne May “May” Bateman born in Hartney, Manitoba in 1894, Jessie (Fox Kemp), Carey, and the youngest Warren Stafford born in 1901. Cassie died in Portage La Prairie in 1909.
Edwin was transferred to Vancouver by the CPR where he married Cassie’s younger sister Mary Dale and moved his six children to Vancouver. In 1920 Edwin Bateman moved his wife and youngest daughter May to Deer Lake and commissioned 'Elworth' house, designed by English-born and trained architect Enoch Evans. The house was completed by contractor William Dodson in 1922 and located at the site of what would become Burnaby Village Museum, 6501 Deer Lake Avenue.
Mamie Bateman married George Lloyd McWilliams May 19, 1915 and had one child, Warren McWilliams. When Warren was very young, the McWilliams family moved into a small house just across Douglas Road from the Bateman’s and Mamie and Warren were daily visitors to Elworth house for ten years. Warren McWilliams attended Douglas Road School and spent a lot of time at Deer Lake swimming and skating.
E.W. Bateman died in 1957 at the age of ninety-nine. George Lloyd McWilliams died June 30, 1961 at the age of seventy-four, his wife Mamie Dale (Bateman) McWilliams died June 1, 1979 at the age of eight-seven.
Interview was digitized in 2010 allowing it to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council and the BC History Digitization Program of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, University of British Columbia. It was recognized by the Heritage Society of BC with an award in 2012.