VICTORIA - The rehabilitation of Butterworth Cottage, one of the oldest buildings in Victoria, begins this week. Located on the Government House grounds, Butterworth Cottage is being rehabilitated as part of a master plan for the original service buildings on the Estate. When complete, the Cottage will serve the Estate of the Lieutenant Governor and its visitors as an interpretive centre and a potential tea room.

“As 2008 is a year of commemoration of our province this Government House Foundation project acknowledges our continuing heritage stewardship responsibilities of the Estate,” says the Honourable Steven Point, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. “History is the rudder of our society, steering our course and determining our direction. It’s our story of who we were and who we will become. Butterworth Cottage provides a physical place for us to share the story of this historic site.”

Butterworth Cottage is part of the Cary Castle Mews, the collection of wooden service buildings located on the southeast side of the Government House grounds. This unique set of buildings dates back to the early 1870s and includes stables, carriage house, wash house, root cellar, coal shed and Butterworth Cottage.

“This year, B.C. is celebrating 150 years of cultural diversity, community strength and widespread achievement since the founding of the Crown Colony of British Columbia in 1858,” said Tourism, Sport and the Arts Minister Stan Hagen. “It is fitting that we celebrate our province and its origins at Government House, a National Historic Site that represents the notion of the constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy at the core of Canadian and British Columbian life.”

Government House worked closely with the Heritage Branch of the Ministry of Tourism, Sport and the Arts to develop this Government House Foundation project. The rehabilitation of Butterworth Cottage will use best practices for heritage conservation in order for it to continue as a support building of the Estate. In addition to the heritage stewardship advisory role to Government House, the Heritage Branch awarded $25,000 towards the rehabilitation of Butterworth Cottage.

The Cottage was originally built as a poultry barn and in the 1920s was partially adapted as a residence for the head gardener. The Cary Castle Mews underwent exterior and structural stabilization in 1992 and in 2003 the Government House Foundation supported the installation of electrical and water services to the buildings.

LOCATION:1401 Rockland Avenue
Victoria, British Columbia
Canada V8S 1V9

PHONE:(250) 387-2080

FAX:(250) 387-2078

EMAIL:ghinfo@gov.bc.ca

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