Few houses in this city that can boast having had their walls covered in 108 different patterns of wallpaper.
But this home has been around for a long, long time and over the decades its walls have been redecorated scores of times, as evidenced by layers of wallpaper that have been painstakingly “excavated,” like the various strata in an archaeological dig.
The walls of Ross Bay Villa were originally wallpapered when the home was built in 1865, but those walls were re-papered again in 1875, 1880, 1900 and 1940 — and who knows if there were other years when improvements were made over time.
These numerous layers of paper were likely due to the fact that 150 years ago such homes were heated by sooty coal and were frequented by men who were typically smoking cigars which quickly stained the walls.
“The villa has changed significantly over the years. It has matured and evolved,” said longtime volunteer and former board member Nick Russell, who believes it is now “in its prime” with the gardens looking gorgeous at this time of year.
The flowerbeds have been meticulously redesigned and replanted in the style of the era with all the flowers, bushes and vegetables being ones that were available in Victoria in the 1860s, according to early catalogues, including dahlias, lavender, lobelia, cosmos, climbing roses, honeysuckle, sweet peas and more.
Ross Bay Villa, 1490 Fairfield Rd., is one of four unique historic Victoria houses featured as part of a series in the Times Colonist, with the next three focusing on Point Ellice, Wentworth Villa and Carr House in future editions of the Homes section.
Each home has its own fascinating story to tell, not only about its distinctive style and character, and who lived there, but also about the outstanding effort and creative energy that went into its restoration.
Russell, a self-professed “heritage hugger” who has also renovated three of his own old homes, noted that uncovering so many layers of wallpaper was just one of many surprises that the project enjoyed — both from a design and an historic standpoint.
Some of the other surprises that encouraged volunteers during the past 22 years of restoration were finding an itemized list of furniture that once belonged to the house and a diary that was kept by Anna Letitia, wife of Frances James Roscoe.
The Roscoes were the original owners and lived there for more than a dozen years, before he suddenly died at age 48 and his wife decided to leave Victoria and take the children back to England.
While the diary covers only two years, it has been a tremendous source of information about the house and the couple’s lifestyle.
It was discovered after volunteers tracked down a descendent of the original family, an American man who was totally unaware of his ancestral home here. He decided to come for a visit and brought the diary with him, to everyone’s delight.
The list of contents was another treasure.
It appeared in the Daily Colonist when Letitia decided to sell the home. She ran an ad in the classified section to advertise an auction dated Jan. 8, 1879. This provided a detailed list of everything the home contained, from mirrors and tea service, to a “breech loading shot-gun, pony Phaeton and Singer sewing machine.”
“It was like finding gold,” said Russell, who added that over the years the volunteers have gradually managed to hunt down almost every item on the list including linens, china, furniture, stoves and more.
A pony, cow and carriage were not something they decided to pursue, but they did recently find perfect stove for the front hall. It is dated from the 1860s and was built by Albion Iron Works, a company that created boilers and steam engines for this city’s early steamship construction industry.
Russell also proudly pointed to a beautiful antique John Broadwood piano in rosewood, which is of the exact era and style to match the original.
Finding the furnishings, crockery, artworks and more is icing on the cake, and follows many years of hard labour during which the volunteers restored the home itself, under the guidance of Davyd McMinn, a professional heritage carpenter who led the structural work.
“We’ve have some incredible volunteers over the years, probably 100 or more of them,” said Russell. “It’s amazing how this project attracts talent.”
Board chair Simone Vogel Horridge is an oil painting restoration expert. “She is amazing, and was able to identify the layers and layers of wall paper removed from the walls or peeled off door frames. She helped set up a silk screen to print replicas in the home’s former master bedroom, now a multi purpose room.
“Simone is also an incredible researcher who spends nights on the computer. She is the one who found the great-great-great grandson of the Roscoes in Chicago.”
Another volunteer, Royal B.C. Museum professional textile conservator Colleen Wilson, has created replicas of clothing that would have been worn at the time, so volunteers can don them for special occasions. She also spent scores of hours making doll clothes in addition to the life-size wardrobe replicas for volunteers.
John Veillette is another gem, said Russell.
A former collections manager at the Royal B.C., “John is wonderful at finding furnishings that are appropriate to the house. Absolutely right for the 1860s.”
Veillette combs through garage sales, auctions, antique stores and more looking for treasures, while other volunteers show up to garden or mould and paint fruits and vegetables for table displays.
All this is important because, while the home pays no property taxes, it receives no public funding. It has been lovingly restored and is now maintained by a team of keen people and is supported by small events.
The historic villa is open to the public for bookable tours on Saturdays and group tours any time. It hosts fundraisers such as weddings, workshops, concerts and lectures, garden parties and even the occasional wake. The Villa also receives rent from the Old Cemeteries Ross Bay Society which has its office in the building.
Other funds are raised through a pop-up gift shop on Saturdays and a beautiful book that outlines the history of the home. More information at rossbayvilla.org.
