— FEATURES

Best of New West: The Irving House

Kevin Welsh, Features Editor

ati

hoosing the best of anything in a
city as diverse and riddled with
history as New Westminster is no
easy feat. The Royal City is littered with
historic monuments, heritage buildings,
and museums. From storied Queen’s Park
the Royal

Arena to the Museum of

Westminster Regiment; from the Samson

V Maritime Museum to the Canadian
Lacrosse Hall of Fame, New Westminster
offers ample opportunities for history
buffs, lookey-loos, and tourist types to
indulge. But perhaps no building in New
Westminster is as packed with pertinent
history and heritage as the Irving House
Historic Centre.

Located at 302 Royal

blocks away from Douglas College

\venue—a few

 

the
Irving House was built in 1865 by Captain
William Irving, and was promptly called,
and most
which British
the British
Columbian newspaper. The heritage house

“the handsomest, the best,

home-like house of

Columbia can yet boast” by

has now stood for well over a century, sur-
viving redevelopment and an inferno that
destroyed the New
town core in 1898.

Westminster down-

Captain William Irving, affectionately
known as the “King of the River,’ was

one of the most prominent and success-

IS | www.

theotherpress.ca

 

ful Fraser River captains in the 19th cen-
tury. Born in Scotland, Irving became
accustomed to a sailor’s life at an early age,

and earned his captain’s ticket at the age of

29. In the late 1840s, the California gold
rush was in full swing. Like many others,
Irving went to California, but not for
gold, rather to capitalize on the demands
for an expanded shipping trade. Irving
carried supplies and construction materi-
als from the Oregon Territory to
Northern California.

In 1851,
Dixon

Irving married Elizabeth
and began to call Portland,
Oregon, home. Over the years, Irving had
purchased land throughout Portland—to
this day a borough of Portland is still
known as Irvington. Yet, in 1858 gold was
discovered on the Fraser River. Irving was
up and sailing again, this time in British
Columbia, where he helped to establish
the British Columbia and Victoria Steam
His company
would ultimately commission the first two

Navigation Company.

the Governor
Douglas and Colonel Moody.
Irving and his company dominated the

Victoria sternwheelers:

sternwheeler trade, and Irving himself

quickly became the most successful cap-
tain operating on the Fraser River. During
that time, Irving built the Irving House,

which brought a regal presence to the
then-capital city. He became a well-
respected and important founding figure
for New Westminster, and the communi-
ty was shocked and saddened by his
sudden death from pneumonia at the age
of 56.

The Irving House survived Irving’s
death and years of ownership change. In
1950, long before such practices were in
vogue or demand, the City of New
Westminster purchased the Irving House
with the intent of preservation and turn-
ing it into a heritage centre.

Though dwarfed by high-rises, mass-
transit systems, and a gigantic floating
casino, the Irving House still stands out
as a piece of stunning architecture from
the pioneer era. The home is now essen-
tially a well-manicured time capsule:
nothing has been updated but everything
has been shown a lot of care.

It is impossible to visit the Irving
House without getting a feel for the life
of an, albeit wealthy, early British
Columbian pioneer. It was said that
Irving stocked and furnished the house
with only the best things money could
buy, and the opulence and decadence is
still there for all to see. Fourteen authen-
tically furnished rooms are open for
public viewing. The large and small par-
lours are still adorned with their original
wallpaper (from 1865). The detail of the
woodwork is stunning, and is highlighted
by a hawser-shaped cornice, a testament
to Irving’s nautical background. The
kitchen, with its open space and richly
painted red walls, is a wonder, featuring as
focal points a non-electric icebox and the
used to

wood-burning stove prepare

meals and provide heat back in the day.

BONW 2005, STAFF PICKS

Angela Blattmann, OP Graphics Gal

Best local eatery:
Star India—lI love the Malai Kofta
Best local watering hole:

 

The front hall stairs showcase a banis-
ter imported from Scotland, which leads
upstairs to the bedrooms and bathroom.
The spacious master bedroom is richly
furnished with wooden closets, dressers,
and chests, a sloped ceiling, and accented
with thick, vibrant drapery. The children’s
bedroom is well stocked with vintage toys,
dolls, and reading books from the era, and
the bed boasts ornate, wooden head- and
footboards.

Located directly behind the Irving
House Historic Centre is the New
Museum and Archives,
where visitors have the opportunity to
delve further into the history of Western
Canada’s oldest city. Stocked with items
donated by past and current residents, the
museum offers an extended glimpse of
life in the Royal City throughout the years.
From items brought over to Canada by
the Royal Engineers (the founders of
New Westminster), to a display dedicated
to New Westminster’s annual May Day
celebration (the oldest annual May Day
the British
Commonwealth), there is plenty to marvel
at. Undoubtedly, the prize asset must be
the red, horse-drawn Dufferin Coach
(circa 1876), the former choice of trans-
portation for Governor General Lord
Dufferin and Lady Dufferin.

Westminster

celebration in

If exploring and celebrating the rich
history and tradition of New Westminster
is ever what you’te looking for, the Irving
House Historic Centre, along with the
New Westminster Museum & Archives is
a great place to start. Between the two,
they paint a vivid picture of pioneer life in
the Royal City by
answering questions.

opening and

©

eyes

   

Brooklyn’s Pub on Columbia—although | might not want to be hanging out
on the balcony to gaze at the pristine Fraser River during an earthquake...
Best place to go instead of going to class:

Scruffy’s: It makes it seem even mote illicit.

Best word(s) to describe Douglas College:

Halifax. What?

Best reason to read the Other Press:
For the Page 3 Girls. And the articles.

August 10/2005