Craigdarroch Castle, a historic Victorian-era mansion, was built in the 1890s by coal baron Robert Dunsmuir, the richest man in nineteenth century British Columbia.Craigdarroch Castle

Rising 87 stairs up through the 4 1/2 stories, the Castle was designed by Portland, Oregon architect, Warren H. Williams who died only four months after construction began on the Castle. Built in the Romanesque/Chateauesque style popular among the very rich as an architectural style suitable to one's fortune, was successfully completed by his associate, Arthur L. Smith in 1890.

Furnished lavishly in the 1890s–1900s period, the 39 rooms occupy over 20,000 square feet. The Entrance Hall and Dining Room are panelled with rich golden oak imported from Chicago. The Drawing Room features hand-painted and stencilled ceiling decoration with lions' heads, garlands, birds and bouquets. Its windows represent the largest and finest in-situ collection of residential stained glass in Canada. And the Castle's tower provides a panoramic view of Victoria and beyond.

As fascinating as the castle is, it is all the more intriguing once one hears of the history of the Dunsmuir family: its rise from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of wealth and power in western North America and its ultimate tragic ending.

Craigdarroch CastleDunsmuir, the patriarch, died in April 1889, more than a year before the Castle was completed. After his death, his sons, James and Alexander, assumed the melancholy task of finishing the Castle for their widowed mother. Later they sued their mother for her share of their father’s estate. Ten months after her death in 1908, Craigdarroch was sold and the contents were auctioned off.
For sixty years, the Castle housed various public institutions including a WWI Military Hospital, Victoria College for twenty-five years and school board offices.

The Castle is open to visitors year-round and often artisans can be found working on the continual restoration of this magnificent reminder of Victorian opulence.

The Caste is located a short drive or a leisurely walk from the downtown harbour, just off Fort Street at

1050 Joan Crescent,
Victoria, BC,
Canada, V8S 3L5
Phone:(250) 592-5323
Web site

Photo by: W.C. Mainwaring. (UVic Archives Photo No. 008.0605)