Historic & Heritage Sites
Heritage buildings (Picture BC photo)
There are nearly 60 designated heritage sites in New Westminster, including heritage homes, churches, court buildings, offices and theatres.
That's not surprising when you consider that this is British Columbia's original provincial capital and oldest city, celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2009. And whether checking out museums, admiring 19th-century architecture, or touring heritage homes, visitors quickly realize how committed New Westminster is to preserving its culture and history.
Irving House
Located next to the New Westminster Museum and Archives, Irving House became the city's first designated heritage site in 1981. This handsome Victorian-era dwelling is the oldest intact house in Metro Vancouver, completed in 1865. It was built with California redwood timbers in the San Francisco-Gothic Revival style.
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Irving House was originally the home of Scottish-born paddlewheeler captain William Irving, who made his fortune while transporting fortune seekers, traders, and settlers along the Fraser River during the 19th-century Gold Rush. The Irving family continued to reside here until 1950. Visitors today can examine elaborate marble fireplaces, coal heaters, wood stoves, dresses, dolls, and various other original fixtures brought in by the Royal Engineers of the British Army, who founded New Westminster.
From September through May Irving House is open with museum guides on hand Saturday and Sunday from 12 pm to 4 pm. The summer season is May through August when Irving House is open Wednesday to Sunday 12 pm to 5 pm.
Walking Tours in New West
Tourism New Westminster offers self-guided walking tour itineraries, including several with a historical focus. Printed itineraries are also available at the New Westminster Museum and Archives.
These include:
- The Historic Residential Walking Tour starts at Irving House and covers, among other venues, the Queen's Park art gallery, well-preserved residential houses in the Victorian "Queen Anne" style, and the Maypole for New Westminster's historic May Day celebrations, which have taken place annually since 1870.
- The Historic Columbia Walking Tour kicks off downtown at the Columbia SkyTrain station (on Columbia St. at Fourth St.), and includes such designated heritage sites as St. Paul's Episcopal Church and the old New Westminster Courthouse, as well as Holy Trinity Cathedral and the Armoury of the New Westminster Regiment.
- The Esplanade Walking Tour begins in Hyack Square (at the foot of Eighth Street) and follows a 2.6km/1.6mi path alongside the Fraser River. The route includes the likes of the old Canadian Pacific Railway station (now a restaurant), interpretive signs about the river courtesy of the Fraser River Discovery Centre, and the Samson V Maritime Museum aboard a vintage paddlewheeler boat.
In addition, the New Westminster Heritage Preservation Society coordinates an annual one-day Heritage Homes tour in May. Tour participants actually get to go inside Victorian, Edwardian, and other architecturally notable residences in the "Royal City." The itinerary changes yearly.
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