Rosemary

This gorgeous piece of real estate is in Shaugnessy and happens to be one of the largest estates there. It was built in 1915 for whiskey baron Edward Tulk and Tulk named it Rosemary after his daughter. (my father and I are quite close but he has never named an estate after me. I'll have to talk to him about  that!)

I wasn't able to find anything on Tulk on the Internet - I guess whiskey barons on that era kept a low profile - but there are other things to mention.

As you can see the home was built in the Tudor Revival style as an English Manor. It was designed by architects Maclure and Fox. (Samuel Maclure was involved in many notable projects including being a consultant to the legendary Butchart Gardens near Victoria. And Maclure was born in Sapperton New Westminster BC.)

Besides the Tulks, the Rosemary has had a few very interesting occupants. Including someone who once owned The Shannon- Austin Taylor who was the owner of the Bralorne gold mine.

For a while John W. Fordham Johnson, BC's future Lieutenant Governor, lived at this estate.

Johnson was born in England in 1866 and at the age of 22 he left to embark on a new life. He began working for a bank in Oregon and was there for ten years before he was transferred to Vancouver.

Once in Vancouver Johnson found opportunities. In 1900 he left the employ of the bank and went to work for BC Sugar Co., eventually becoming president of the company in 1920.

On August 1, 1931 John William Fordham Johnson was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia and he served the province for five years, until 1936 when his ill health forced him to retire to Vancouver. He died two years later.

The Order of the Convent of Our Lady of the Cenacle owned this estate from 1947 until 1994. They used it as a retreat.What a beautiful place to commune with God.

In the current owners took steps to protect the estate by entering into a Heritage Revitalization Agreement with the City. They have allowed the grounds to be subdivided into three parcels which will allow other buildings to be put on the grounds and still keep the manor as it always has been and will hopefully continue to be for years to come.

I thoroughly enjoy my strolls through Shaugnessy. Maybe I'm hoping that the wealth will rub off on me - that just breathing the same air, walking the same streets, looking at the same houses will entice money to come to me. The Lotto 649 is 12 million dollars tonight so here's hoping! If not I'm getting my fresh air, exercise and vitamin D.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

Karen Magill, Rosemary, Vancouver, Edward Tulk, BC Sugar Co., Austin Taylor, Bralorne Gold Mine, John William Fordham Johnson

Sojourn at The Shannon

When I left on Friday it was June 1918 and B.T. Rogers had died in his bed at the Gabriola estate - never having lived in The Shannon or seen the completion of his dream estate.

The Great War, The War to End All Wars, World War I was still on and would be for another few months. Mary Rogers was left to raise seven children alone and had to  consider what to  do with her husband's dream.

Mary must have been made of strong stuff because not only did she manage to raise the children but she also completed her husband's dream estate.

Work continued on The Shannon estate and in 1925 Mary Rogers and her brood left their home at the Gabriola and moved into the luxurious surroundings.

Life at The Shannon was grand. The time period was the Roaring Twenties - the war was over and people were back to enjoying life. The prestigious Parisian firm, L. Alavoine & Company, had been hired to do the interior design. The house itself employed a gardener, cooks, maids, a butler, a nurse, and a chauffeur - twelve in all. Music played from the pipe organ ordered from New York, filling the grounds with sweet sounds. (When I visited last week a pianist was playing and the classical music lent an air of the past to the grounds.)

It is fitting that music still be played today since Mary Isabella Rogers had an appreciation for music and an interest in the arts. She was also a charitable woman. Every year she would hold a Christmas party for local children and was certain to make sure that each received a magnificent gift.

The Rogers family also owned cinema cameras and what was likely the first home movie filmed in Vancouver was filmed on The Shannon grounds. It was entitled Bastard Love and, if you are a film buff, there are still copies available today.

Life was splendid but times do change. In 1936 all the children were grown and Mary decided that The Shannon was just too big for her now. She sold the property and moved to a more modest dwelling on Angus Drive.

1936 was the middle of the Great Depression and mining promoter Austin Taylor bought the property for $105, 600 - less than ten times the total taxes. The assessment of the property at the time was $270, 400. So Taylor got a great deal.

So the estate that Benjamin Tingley Rogers had imagined and built had been completed. Although B.T. Rogers never lived there his ashes were strewn in the ornamental gardens and his widow made sure that the residence was completed. Her and her children lived there for many years before moving on. And guess what? I have more photos and more to tell you but  that is for the next entry.

Until the next time, I hope you find the beauty around you.

Karen Magill,Somervell and Putnam, Vancouver,B.T. Rogers,The Shannon,Austin Taylor,History,L. Alavoine and Company