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Friday, August 27, 2004
The Stone House
Squally Reach, Finlayson Arm, Saanich Inlet
British Columbia, Canada
N48*30 W123*33
by Bill Irvine
Mrs. Jean Stevens is an 87 year-old lady presently living in the Central Care Nursing Home 844 Johnson St. in Victoria, British Columbia. She was kind of enough to share what she remembers from when -- as a 15 year-old youngster -- she visited often with the Horsepools who lived in the Stone House on Saanich Inlet. Her son, Ted, set up our meeting August 12, 2002, and after introducing his mother, left us alone.
Jean Stevens is hard-of-hearing so each question had to be repeated at least once and her memory of events from 72 years ago is, understandably, not that sharp. She did recall how gracious Mr.& Mrs. Horsepool were and what a wonderful gentleman he was. Jean remembered the house was built by a French-Canadian man named George Carteau. George was the builder, and he brought the stone to cover the concrete structure from across the inlet by boat or barge, presumably from somewhere near the base of Mt. Finlayson. She did recall other supplies [cement] being brought across the water from, " . . . where the big smokestack was." Butchart's quarry -- now Butchart's Gardens -- where the stack is still standing.
The house was built circa 1925 with the Horsepools being the second owners ca. 1930. There was an article published about the Stone House in local print media but no one seems to remember whether or not it was the Times-Colonist. This was about ten-years-ago and -- according the Stevens -- contained inaccuracies; one of which was the incorrect last name of 'George'. Even today, we are not sure of the correct spelling of Carteau. According to Mrs. Stevens, he was French and this should have been reflected in his last name. "It was a French name and the Islander had it wrong," she complained.
Jean's memories of being at the Stone House are of wonderful times with great hosts at a marvelous seaside location. After leaving the car parked on the Malahat Drive, access to the property was by foot, down a well-defined path. Part of this access remains near the house in the form of a wide roadbed supported by extensive stone shoring. It is evident the shoring-up alone was a tremendous effort in labour and materials. Due to the steepness of incline near the house, the roadbed of necessity had to zigzag down the moutain face and be built up with stones on the downhill side. According to Mrs. Stevens, no automobiles had access to the lower reaches of the property nor the Stone House. If, on the other hand, she and her parents went up from Victoria on their own, they arrived at the Stone House by boat from Hall's Boathouse [Goldstream Boathouse, today].
If anyone today follows the roadway down from the Malahat Drive, the forgoing memories related by Mrs. Stevens are thrown into doubt. It's an easy walk from the one-thousand-foot level down to the Stone House following what appears to be the original roadway. It is wide enough for any car or light truck and has been driven by Ken as recently as the 1980s. Being a gravel bush road it is in constant need of clearing of broom bush but it's still there and quite usable. The walk back uphill, however, is quite enervating!
The Horsepools owned the land from the Inlet all the way up to the E&N railway tracks. When time came for government improvements to be made to the Malahat Drive, the Horsepools donated that portion of their property required by the Highways Department. Mrs. Stevens said the Victoria newspapers of the day carried a story, complete with pictures, reporting the Horsepools' generosity regarding this land transfer.
The neighbours who lived in the house to the west of the Horsepools, owned Hickman-Tye Hardware store in Victoria but Jean couldn't remember their names. Presumably it would be one or the other name. There is an abandoned wooden structure beside the Stone House today, but it is unknown if this same building could have survived from the nineteen-thirties.
Mr. Horsepool died in Victoria at St. Joseph's Hospital after a lengthy stay. Jean recalls how a woman showed up claiming to be the last surviving Horsepool's daughter. The imposter's efforts to claim all or part of the estate were in vain as she was unable to prove her identity as heir. Mrs. Stevens also remembers the Horsepools having a son.
Anyone visiting the Stone House today cannot overlook the amount of effort that was put into its construction. Sitting about 25 metres above the water level at a distance of approximately 100 metres away, one can appreciate it would take a ery strong individual to move the tons of rock and cement from the barges to the building site. George Carteau was such a man.
Doug McFarlane -- a gentleman now in his seventies -- remembers when, as a boy, George Carteau used to visit his parents' home in Sooke, BC. While George was there, he would spend time with the McFarlane boys teaching them how to box. Doug recalls Mr. Carteau as being a mountain of a man and exceeding strong in his physical characteristics. In view of this insight, one can appreciate that in 1925 the only way the building materials got from dock to site was by brute force as applied by this strong and industrious individual -- one George Carteau.
Online Yahoo Photos Stonehouse
http://photos.yahoo.com/wjis21
Yahoo Online Yahoo Photos
references cited:
Mrs. Jean Stevens, Central Care Nursing Home, 844 Johnson St., Victoria, British Columbia.
Doug McFarlane, 6350 Sooke Rd., V8B 1V8 (250) 642-5958
Squally Reach, Finlayson Arm, Saanich Inlet
British Columbia, Canada
N48*30 W123*33
by Bill Irvine
Mrs. Jean Stevens is an 87 year-old lady presently living in the Central Care Nursing Home 844 Johnson St. in Victoria, British Columbia. She was kind of enough to share what she remembers from when -- as a 15 year-old youngster -- she visited often with the Horsepools who lived in the Stone House on Saanich Inlet. Her son, Ted, set up our meeting August 12, 2002, and after introducing his mother, left us alone.
Jean Stevens is hard-of-hearing so each question had to be repeated at least once and her memory of events from 72 years ago is, understandably, not that sharp. She did recall how gracious Mr.& Mrs. Horsepool were and what a wonderful gentleman he was. Jean remembered the house was built by a French-Canadian man named George Carteau. George was the builder, and he brought the stone to cover the concrete structure from across the inlet by boat or barge, presumably from somewhere near the base of Mt. Finlayson. She did recall other supplies [cement] being brought across the water from, " . . . where the big smokestack was." Butchart's quarry -- now Butchart's Gardens -- where the stack is still standing.
The house was built circa 1925 with the Horsepools being the second owners ca. 1930. There was an article published about the Stone House in local print media but no one seems to remember whether or not it was the Times-Colonist. This was about ten-years-ago and -- according the Stevens -- contained inaccuracies; one of which was the incorrect last name of 'George'. Even today, we are not sure of the correct spelling of Carteau. According to Mrs. Stevens, he was French and this should have been reflected in his last name. "It was a French name and the Islander had it wrong," she complained.
Jean's memories of being at the Stone House are of wonderful times with great hosts at a marvelous seaside location. After leaving the car parked on the Malahat Drive, access to the property was by foot, down a well-defined path. Part of this access remains near the house in the form of a wide roadbed supported by extensive stone shoring. It is evident the shoring-up alone was a tremendous effort in labour and materials. Due to the steepness of incline near the house, the roadbed of necessity had to zigzag down the moutain face and be built up with stones on the downhill side. According to Mrs. Stevens, no automobiles had access to the lower reaches of the property nor the Stone House. If, on the other hand, she and her parents went up from Victoria on their own, they arrived at the Stone House by boat from Hall's Boathouse [Goldstream Boathouse, today].
If anyone today follows the roadway down from the Malahat Drive, the forgoing memories related by Mrs. Stevens are thrown into doubt. It's an easy walk from the one-thousand-foot level down to the Stone House following what appears to be the original roadway. It is wide enough for any car or light truck and has been driven by Ken as recently as the 1980s. Being a gravel bush road it is in constant need of clearing of broom bush but it's still there and quite usable. The walk back uphill, however, is quite enervating!
The Horsepools owned the land from the Inlet all the way up to the E&N railway tracks. When time came for government improvements to be made to the Malahat Drive, the Horsepools donated that portion of their property required by the Highways Department. Mrs. Stevens said the Victoria newspapers of the day carried a story, complete with pictures, reporting the Horsepools' generosity regarding this land transfer.
The neighbours who lived in the house to the west of the Horsepools, owned Hickman-Tye Hardware store in Victoria but Jean couldn't remember their names. Presumably it would be one or the other name. There is an abandoned wooden structure beside the Stone House today, but it is unknown if this same building could have survived from the nineteen-thirties.
Mr. Horsepool died in Victoria at St. Joseph's Hospital after a lengthy stay. Jean recalls how a woman showed up claiming to be the last surviving Horsepool's daughter. The imposter's efforts to claim all or part of the estate were in vain as she was unable to prove her identity as heir. Mrs. Stevens also remembers the Horsepools having a son.
Anyone visiting the Stone House today cannot overlook the amount of effort that was put into its construction. Sitting about 25 metres above the water level at a distance of approximately 100 metres away, one can appreciate it would take a ery strong individual to move the tons of rock and cement from the barges to the building site. George Carteau was such a man.
Doug McFarlane -- a gentleman now in his seventies -- remembers when, as a boy, George Carteau used to visit his parents' home in Sooke, BC. While George was there, he would spend time with the McFarlane boys teaching them how to box. Doug recalls Mr. Carteau as being a mountain of a man and exceeding strong in his physical characteristics. In view of this insight, one can appreciate that in 1925 the only way the building materials got from dock to site was by brute force as applied by this strong and industrious individual -- one George Carteau.
Online Yahoo Photos Stonehouse
http://photos.yahoo.com/wjis21
Yahoo Online Yahoo Photos
references cited:
Mrs. Jean Stevens, Central Care Nursing Home, 844 Johnson St., Victoria, British Columbia.
Doug McFarlane, 6350 Sooke Rd., V8B 1V8 (250) 642-5958
