1 photograph : sepia ; 10 x 14.5 cm on mat 11 x 15.5 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph taken of the wedding party showing (l to r, standing): Arthur Rowe, Winnie Hill Rowe, Trevor Rowe, and Miss Lister. Kitty Hill, the flower girl, is seated. Winnie Rowe was the daughter of Bernard R. Hill who, with his brother L. Claude Hill, was an early settler of the Burnaby Lake area…
1 photograph : sepia ; 10 x 14.5 cm on mat 11 x 15.5 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
477-051
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Accession Number
2007-12
Scope and Content
Photograph taken of the wedding party showing (l to r, standing): Arthur Rowe, Winnie Hill Rowe, Trevor Rowe, and Miss Lister. Kitty Hill, the flower girl, is seated. Winnie Rowe was the daughter of Bernard R. Hill who, with his brother L. Claude Hill, was an early settler of the Burnaby Lake area. The flower girl, Kitty Hill, was Claude's daughter. This photograph may have been taken in front of Bernard Hill's home on Douglas Road.
1 photograph : b&w ; 11.8 x 17 cm on page 21.5 x 28 cm (pasted in album)
Scope and Content
Photograph of the fields and farmland looking southeast from the home of Bernard Hill down Douglas Road towards Deer Lake Brook. In the foreground view can be seen what is the present-day Kensington Avenue freeway entrance and No. 1 Firehall site on Sperling Avenue. The cabin that can be seen to …
1 photograph : b&w ; 11.8 x 17 cm on page 21.5 x 28 cm (pasted in album)
Description Level
Item
Record No.
477-846
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Accession Number
2007-12
Scope and Content
Photograph of the fields and farmland looking southeast from the home of Bernard Hill down Douglas Road towards Deer Lake Brook. In the foreground view can be seen what is the present-day Kensington Avenue freeway entrance and No. 1 Firehall site on Sperling Avenue. The cabin that can be seen to the left in the background is an unknown residence further along Douglas Road near Rayside Drive and the cabin that is just visible in the centre background of the photograph (between treeline split) belonged to Mr. Nicholson. It was later torn down when Bernard Hill's brother Claude Hill built his home, Broadview at that location. To the extreme right of the picture on the opposite side of Douglas Road is the property of Claude Hill's first Burnaby home also known as Brookfield (the current location of the Burnaby Village Museum).
1 photograph : b&w ; 12 x 17 cm on page 21.5 x 28 cm (pasted in album)
Scope and Content
Photograph of a farmer driving a team of two horses mowing hay in a field. The photograph bears the caption "Mowing at Gaines' farm" and is accompanied by a notation in the album indicating that the field was across Douglas Road from Brookfield, the home of Claude Hill. This property belonged to …
1 photograph : b&w ; 12 x 17 cm on page 21.5 x 28 cm (pasted in album)
Description Level
Item
Record No.
477-867
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Accession Number
2007-12
Scope and Content
Photograph of a farmer driving a team of two horses mowing hay in a field. The photograph bears the caption "Mowing at Gaines' farm" and is accompanied by a notation in the album indicating that the field was across Douglas Road from Brookfield, the home of Claude Hill. This property belonged to Claude's brother Bernard Hill and was later known as 4990 Canada Way. The man is unidentified. In the background to the west can be seen Burnaby Lake and to the left the Pole Line Road (later Sperling Avenue) and to the right, Douglas Road and an unidentified house. This is the current location of the Kensington Avenue freeway interchange.
10 plans : blueprint ink on paper mounted on 2 sides of cardboard ; 76 cm x 102 cm
Scope and Content
Item consists of a large board of four New Westminster District Gp 1 - subdivision plans mounted on one side and six New Westminster District Gp 1 - subdivision plans mounted on the other side.
Side A:
1. Blueprint "Plan / of - ReSubdivision / of / Lots 1-18 inclusive / Blocks 20 and 21 / in Sub…
10 plans : blueprint ink on paper mounted on 2 sides of cardboard ; 76 cm x 102 cm
Material Details
Scales [between 1:792 and 1:4752]
Index number on edge of board reads: "4"
Scope and Content
Item consists of a large board of four New Westminster District Gp 1 - subdivision plans mounted on one side and six New Westminster District Gp 1 - subdivision plans mounted on the other side.
Side A:
1. Blueprint "Plan / of - ReSubdivision / of / Lots 1-18 inclusive / Blocks 20 and 21 / in Subdivision / of / Lot 53 -Gr.1 / New Westminster District" / "Subdivision Lot Numbers - Shown in Red". Plan is bordered by First Street / Jorgenson's Line / Fourth Avenue and Second Street with Fifith Avenue running through the centre. There is an index in the upper right corner of the plan. Planned is signed by "Peter Byrne" and "William R. Phillips" and dated July 28, 1908. (Geographic location: Burnaby)
2. Blueprint "Plan / of Subdivision / of / Lot 159 / and a Portion of Lot 158 / Group One / New Westminster District". Plan is bordered by Lots 96 and 97; South Wilson Street; North Arm Road and Lot 160 / Power House Road (Lot 155 A). B.C.E.R. Gilley Station is identified in the upper right corner of the plan. (Geographic location: Burnaby)
3. Blueprint plan identified as "Subdvs 10, L 88 and Lot 25, G. 1" Plan identifies Cumberland Street running from top to the bottom and a Ravine running alongside with the Jensen house, stable and barn. (Geographic location: Burnaby)
4. Blueprint Plan of "Lot 153. G. 1 /New Westminster District". Plan identifies the "New Westminster & Vancouver Tramway" and the "New Westminster and Vancouver Road" running through the plan of Lot 53. (Geographic location: Burnaby)
Side B:
1. Blueprint plan of "Profile on Proposed North Rd. Diversion".
2. Blueprint plan (no title) showing wood lots north of Burnaby Lake and Brunette River and west of North Road. Various lots are identified as "Heavily Timbered" (Lot 57); "Splendid Fir and Cedar / Heavy Fir etc. / Fine Cedar" (Lots 143, 148); "Rough Light Timber," (Lot 56); "Some Fir and Cedar" (Lot 40). (Geographic location: Burnaby)
3. Blueprint "Plan / of Subdivision / of a Portion / of Lot 87, Gr.1 / New Westminster District". Plan is bordered by Burnaby Lake at the top and Hastings Road / Lot 86 at the bottom and Lot 90 to the east. "Albert J. Hill B.C.LotS." Annotation in ink reads: " J.A. Brownlee, B.C.L.S. / Subdivision / Map 1494 / Bd. 248". Plan is signed by "Peter Byrne, Reeve" (Geographic location: Burnaby)
4. Blueprint plan of Subdivisions along either side of Douglas Road including Lots 117; 119; 74; 80; 79 and 77. (Geographic location: Burnaby)
5. Blueprint "Plan / of / Subdivision of / Lot 27 / in Subdivision / of / Lot 30 / Group One / New Westminster District" Plan is bordered by Lot 26, Lot 28 and Hastings Rd. Lot 27 runs north of Edmonds Street. , "Albert J. Hill, B.C.LotS." (Geographic location: Burnaby)
6. Blueprint plan identified as a "Cultivated Orchard" including the names "W. Grace" and "G. Mead" located north of the North Arm Fraser River and west of "Twentieth Street_ City Boundary". Handwritten annotation in coloured pencil reads: "Portion of Lot 172" (Geographic location: Burnaby)
The ‘Fairacres’ Root House is a long, low one-storey masonry building, measuring 4.6 metres by 9.1 metres, with massively buttressed concrete walls and foundations. Built into sloping ground adjacent to the location of the former greenhouses, the surviving orchard and the kitchen entrance of the ma…
The ‘Fairacres’ Root House is a long, low one-storey masonry building, measuring 4.6 metres by 9.1 metres, with massively buttressed concrete walls and foundations. Built into sloping ground adjacent to the location of the former greenhouses, the surviving orchard and the kitchen entrance of the main house, 'Fairacres,' this functional structure was used as a frost-free store for fruit and vegetables for the family's use.
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), an outspoken advocate of Arts and Crafts design, was retained by the Ceperleys to design several original outbuildings on their estate.
The Root House is important as a rare surviving, and exceptionally large, example of this building type in the Vancouver region. Unusual in the fact that an architect designed a building of such modest aspirations, it is also remarkable in its method of construction. The use of concrete as a structural material is one of the earliest in the region and extraordinary for its use on such a modest vernacular outbuilding; root cellars were typically built of loose stone. Built in 1908, the Root House was significantly altered in the 1960s and restored to its original design in 2000.
The building is significant as an indicator of the market gardening activity in the area around Deer Lake and of the country-house self-sufficiency practiced by the Ceperley family. The Root House illustrates the cultural, aesthetic, and lifestyle values of the Ceperleys in constructing such a large building for storing their own produce.
Defining Elements
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), an outspoken advocate of Arts and Crafts design, was retained by the Ceperleys to design several original outbuildings on their estate.
The Root House is important as a rare surviving, and exceptionally large, example of this building type in the Vancouver region. Unusual in the fact that an architect designed a building of such modest aspirations, it is also remarkable in its method of construction. The use of concrete as a structural material is one of the earliest in the region and extraordinary for its use on such a modest vernacular outbuilding; root cellars were typically built of loose stone. Built in 1908, the Root House was significantly altered in the 1960s and restored to its original design in 2000.
The building is significant as an indicator of the market gardening activity in the area around Deer Lake and of the country-house self-sufficiency practiced by the Ceperley family. The Root House illustrates the cultural, aesthetic, and lifestyle values of the Ceperleys in constructing such a large building for storing their own produce.
Designed in the British Arts and Crafts style, the ‘Fairacres’ Steam Plant Buiding is a single-storey wood frame building with a gabled roof that originally housed the apparatus for climate control in the greenhouses, formerly located to its north. The original rubble stone walls that formed the fo…
Designed in the British Arts and Crafts style, the ‘Fairacres’ Steam Plant Buiding is a single-storey wood frame building with a gabled roof that originally housed the apparatus for climate control in the greenhouses, formerly located to its north. The original rubble stone walls that formed the foundation for the greenhouses stand adjacent. The Steam Plant Building stands as a pendant to the Root House, which is to the north of the former greenhouses.
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), an outspoken advocate of Arts and Crafts design, was retained by the Ceperleys to design several original outbuildings on their estate.
The Ceperleys operated 'Fairacres' with staff, a farm manager and workers, including Chinese, to grow produce for themselves and for sale at local markets. The Steam Plant Building illustrates the market gardening activity of the area around Deer Lake and its importance to the Ceperley family, which valued a year-round supply of fresh fruit and vegetables for the kitchen and flowers for the house. It also illustrates the cultural and aesthetic values of the Ceperleys in retaining an architect to design a functional outbuilding using an accepted and contemporary architectural style. Built in 1908, the Steam Plant Building was significantly altered in the 1960s and restored to its original design in 2000.
Defining Elements
Key elements that define the heritage character of the ‘Fairacres’ Steam Plant Building include its:
- overall spatial arrangement of the Steam Plant Building in relation to the former greenhouses and the Root House
- side gable roof with cedar shingle cladding.
- tall brick chimney indicitive of the building's original function.
- distinctive Arts and Crafts architectural features such as the shingle wall cladding with decorative shingling under window sills, deep eaves, and pebble-dashed concrete foundation walls
- six-paned wooden-sash casement windows
- simple functional interior features
- rubble stone walls that formed the foundation for the greenhouses
This school was the fifth to open in Burnaby and was initially known as Lake View School. In 1913, names of Burnaby Schools were changed to reflect their location and thus Lake View became Douglas Road. The first building on the site was torn down in the 1950s but the main building, which was constructed in 1928, remains although it had additions and renovations done in 1950, 1954, 1960, 1961, 1967 and 1973.
The original rubble stone walls that formed the foundation for a greenhouses adjacent to the Steam Plant Building provided heat to several greenhouses on the estate propoerty. The Root House, which is to the north of the Greenhouse Foundation Wall, provided storage for the farm operation.
The original rubble stone walls that formed the foundation for a greenhouses adjacent to the Steam Plant Building provided heat to several greenhouses on the estate propoerty. The Root House, which is to the north of the Greenhouse Foundation Wall, provided storage for the farm operation.
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), an outspoken advocate of Arts and Crafts design, was retained by the Ceperleys to design several original outbuildings on their estate, which was designed as a country estate with a working farm that included over 10 acres of productive berry and vegetable fields, with a large kitchen garden, a root house to store food, an orchard, and greenhouses heated by steam. The agricultural potential of the Deer Lake area made it one of the first parts of the municipality to attract settlement.
In 1909, the Ceperleys built three large greenhouses heated by an adjacent steam plant (Fairacres Steam Plant). The greenhouses featured granite foundation walls, including this one which remains intact. The Ceperleys employed a large staff to manage the estate's agricultural production, including Chinese farm labourers. Produce was grown for use at the estate, and for sale at local markets. Agricultural use of the estate continued when a Catholic order of Benedictine monks purchased the estate as part of the Priory of St. Joseph and the Seminary of Christ the King, and continued to farm the land until 1953.
Defining Elements
Key elements that define the heritage character of the ‘Fairacres’ Steam Plant Building include its:
- overall spatial arrangement of the Greenhouse Foundation Wall in relation to the Steam Plant Building and the Root House
- original rubble stone walls reflecting the Arts and Crafts design aesthetic of the estate buildings.
9 plans : 4 plans : blueprint ink on paper + 4 plans : black ink on paper + 1 plan : graphite on paper mounted on 2 sides of cardboard 76 x 102 cm
Scope and Content
File consists of a large board of three survey plans in New Westminster District Group 1 mounted on one side and six survey and subdivision plans of District Lot 85, New Westminster District Group 1 mounted on the other side.
Side A:
1. Plan : blueprint on paper ; 30.5 x 80 cm. Title reads: "Fras…
9 plans : 4 plans : blueprint ink on paper + 4 plans : black ink on paper + 1 plan : graphite on paper mounted on 2 sides of cardboard 76 x 102 cm
Material Details
Scales vary (One chain equals 792 inches)
Indexed number on tape on edge of board reads "17"
Scope and Content
File consists of a large board of three survey plans in New Westminster District Group 1 mounted on one side and six survey and subdivision plans of District Lot 85, New Westminster District Group 1 mounted on the other side.
Side A:
1. Plan : blueprint on paper ; 30.5 x 80 cm. Title reads: "Fraser River Bridge / Plan of South Approach". Plan covers area of land north of the Fraser River and Great Northern Railway with approach for a bridge running through the "ʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Indian Reserve" (ʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) First Nation) and lots marked as Dominion Government and the east half of Lot 2 identified as "C. F. Brown" "Plan 851". Plan is identified as "Plan 851 / traced / Mar. 17, 1911". (Geographic location in Vancouver) Scale: 100 feet = 1 inch, Signed by Albert J. Hill / P.L.S."
2. Plan : blueprint on paper ; 36.5 x 35 cm (no title). Includes three plans of lots on the east and west sides of North Road. Note on bottom of blueprint reads: "I.E.B. McKay Surveyor General - hereby certify / that this is a correct tracing from the field / notes of the Royal Engineers on file in the / Lands Department / E.B. McKay (signature) / Surveyor General / Victoria B.C. April 11th 1911" . Plan in top left titled "Page 11 / Vol. 1. / R.E. Notes" covers District Lots east of North Road including Lot 5, Lot 7, Lot 41, Lot 9 and Lot 107 in Coquitlam. Plan in top right corner titled "Page 17 / Vol. 1. / R.E. Notes" covers District Lots east of North Road including Lot 104, Lot 54, Lot 105, Lot 55, Lot 106, Lot 9 and Lot 107 in Coquitlam and Port Moody. Plan in lower left corner titled "Page 15 / Vol. 1 / R.E. Notes" covers District Lots west of North Road including Lot 147, Lot 148, Lot 100, Lot 15 in Burnaby.
3. Plan : blue print on paper ; 29.5 x 41.5 cm. (no formal title). Plan of the North 1/2 of Section 18. Plan covers area in the "North 1/2 of Sec.18 B.5 N RGE 1 W" and "Sec. 18 B.5 N. RGE 1 W" bordered by Section 7, Section 13, Section 17 and Section 19. Bon Accord Road runs through Sec. 18. The plan is signed by surveryor "I.H. Neville Smith... C.E.B.C.L.S. / Mar. 26th 1910" and signed by "Ludwig Pillath". (Geographic location: Surrey)
Side B:
1. Plan : blueprint on paper ; 43.5 x 49.5 cm. Title reads: "Plan / of Subdivision / of a Portion / of / Lot 85 / Group One / New Westminster District. Plan covers portion of land east of Deer Lake and Pole Line Road (Sperling Avenue) and south of Hastings Road in District Lot 85 in Burnaby with section 4 and a portion of section 2 coloured in red. Plan is signed by "Albert J. Hill, B.C.L.S." Plan is initialed by: "RB" [sic] (in blue pencil crayon) Scale: 4 chains = 1 inch
2. Plaln : black black ink on linen ; 39 x 37 cm. Title reads: "L.C. Hill's Property, / Burnaby". Plan covers a triangular portion of land east of Pole Line Road (Sperling Avenue) and south of Hastings Road in District Lot 85 in Burnaby. Plan is intitaled by "RB" [sic] (in blue pencil crayon). Scale: 3 chains = 1 mile
3. Plan : graphite on paper ; 23 x 17 cm. Title reads: "Portion of Lot 85 / Gr.1". Plan covers portion of land north east of Deer Lake and west of Pole Line Road (now Sperling Avenue) in District Lot 85 in Burnaby. Plan is stamped in red ink: "Albert J. Hill, Civil Engineer". Plan is initialed by: "RB" [sic] (in blue pencil crayon). Scale: 1 chain = 1 inch
4. Plan : black ink on linen ; 16 x 19 cm. Title reads: "Lot 85". Plan covers the intersection of Pole Line Road (Sperling Avenue) and Hastings Road at the north west section of District Lot 79 and District Lot 85 in Burnaby. Plan is stamped: "A.J. Hill, Civil Engineer" with identitifed in blue pencil crayon.
5. Plan : black ink on paper ; 28.5 x 37 cm. (no formal title) Plan covers an area of land, west of Pole Line Road (Sperling Avenue) and south of Deer Lake in District Lot 85 in Burnaby. Plan is initialed by: "RB" [sic] (in blue pencil crayon)
6. Plan : black ink on paper ; 21 x 34 cm (no formal title). Plan covers an area of land, west of Pole Line Road (Sperling Avenue) and south of Deer Lake in District Lot 85 in Burnaby. Plan is initialed by: "RB" [sic] (in blue pencil crayon)
Scale is measured in chains and feet. (One chain equals 792 inches).
The term "Lot" also refers to a "District Lot”
Some plans are stamped: "Albert J. Hill, Civil Engineer / and / Provincial Land Surveyor, / New Westminster, / B.C." and intialed: "RB" [sic]
Zoomable Images
Survey and Subdivision plans in New Westminster District Group 1 and Group 2 – Vancouver, ʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Indian Reserve, Burnaby, Surrey
, [1910-1911]
Photograph of the construction of the Fairacres' Mansion at the framing stage. Large bundles of wood shingles are grouped in loose piles along the front of the house.
Photograph of the construction of the Fairacres' Mansion at the framing stage. Large bundles of wood shingles are grouped in loose piles along the front of the house.
Photograph is photogravure printed on paper of a house on the side of a path. The area appears wooded. The inscription and the accession register identify the house as the residence of Mr. and Mrs. B.R. Hill on Douglas Road, built about 1892, with an addition to the house built about 1905.
An annotation in pencil is written on the back of the photograph
Scope and Content
Photograph is photogravure printed on paper of a house on the side of a path. The area appears wooded. The inscription and the accession register identify the house as the residence of Mr. and Mrs. B.R. Hill on Douglas Road, built about 1892, with an addition to the house built about 1905.
'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.
'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'
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
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.
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
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
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…
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
The 'Fairacres Estate Gate' marks the location of one of the original driveway entrances to the estate.
Heritage Value
Fairacres was designed as a country estate with a working farm that included over 10 acres of productive berry and vegetable fields, with a large kitchen garden, a root house to store food, and greenhouses heated by steam. The agricultural potential ofthe Deer Lake area made it one of the first parts of the municipality to attract settlement.
Construction of the Fairacres Estate represented a shift toward wealthy country estates over more modest farms, and the Ceperleys employed a large staff to manage the estate's agricultural production. Agricultural use of the estate continued when a Catholic order of Benedictine monks purchased the estate as part of the Priory of St. Joseph and the Seminary of Christ the King, and continued to farm the land until 1953.
The overall architectural intention of the estate's architect was to reflect the ideals of the Arts & Crafts movement to showcase craftsmanship, and to incorporate high quality materials, including many local materials, such as wood and stone from the site. On the mansion exterior, the rustic style is seen in the use of natural materials such as cedar shingles and siding, cobblestone foundations and chimneys and the half-timbering in gable ends. The estate's remaining gate pillar features the same rustic field and cobblestones used on the mansion.
The original estate driveway had two entrances constructed in 1910, each marked by a pair of entry gate pillars which supported iron gates. The main entrance gate pillars which marked the lower driveway and the east pillar of the upper entrance were demolished many years ago and the iron gates removed. A single gate pillar remains marking the upper driveway, adjacent to the Garage and Stables. This gate pillar is a significant site feature and incorporates cobble stone and a carved sandstone capstone.
Defining Elements
Key elements that define the heritage character of the ‘Fairacres Estate Gate' include:
- setting in relation to the estate boundary and estate buildings
- Cobble stone and sandstone construction, which represents a typical Arts and Crafts use of local materials, and matches the extensive use of cobblestone as chimneys and foundations on the Fairacres mansion, as well as the use of sandstone on the mansion's exterior.