Our Artifacts Collection
The Castle Society was founded more than 50 years ago by the late President James K. Nesbitt. Early members included other prominent British Columbians sharing his passion for the Castle. Their vision was that one day Craigdarrochapos;s preservation would be assured and that the house would be a public museum.
The Society's 1959 Constitution contained a couple of clauses describing the collection policy “The gathering of furniture and bric-a-brac, and other historic objects for the Castle rooms, so that they may appear as much as possible as they were from 1890 to 1908 when Mrs. Robert Dunsmuir occupied the Castle”, and “The gathering of photographs and paintings, for the Castle rooms, of the Dunsmuir family, and of Victoria during that era.”
Find More Information About Our Collection
Preserving a National Historic Site
The restoration of Craigdarroch Castle to its original splendour is more than 30 years in the making and it is an on-going process. It has involved countless hours from countless dedicated people who believe that preserving this beautiful monument to Canadian history is important and so worthwhile.
Conserving Craigdarroch is not an easy task. Historic photographs of the building and the surrounding landscape offer invaluable insight into how the Castle and its grounds used to look.
Returning Craigdarroch's interiors to the Dunsmuir era (1890–1908) is especially difficult. Only one interior photograph from that period has survived. This lone photograph and a 1909 auction catalogue of Dunsmuir household possessions is our primary source of information to guide the conservation project.
Bric-a-Brac
The Castle now houses many important objects from Craigdarroch and other Dunsmuir houses. If you know of any Dunsmuir furniture, paintings, glassware, dishes, or other domestic material, we can help to identify what you have try to determine which Dunsmuir house it came from.
We also collect historic letters and documents related to the Dunsmuirs and their businesses.
Have a Piece of History?
If you know someone that might have pictures of Craigdarroch Castle, we want to hear from you! Please tell us if you have any leads, and we will happily follow-up.
As a registered charitable organization, The Castle Society can issue income tax receipts for gifts of objects and documents. In certain instances, the Castle may be able to purchase Dunsmuir belongings for its museum collection.
Be Part of Our History
Some of the most significant contributions towards the restoration and understanding of Craigdarroch have been provided by people like you.
- a 1909 photograph of a young child with the castle in the background
- a selection of bathroom tiles “too nice to see thrown away”
- the handwritten notations in the margins of a surveyor’s notebook as he passed by the gates on Fort Street
Even the smallest and seemingly most insignificant detail can answer a world of questions. Do you have a distant relative who was a carpenter or stonemason in the late 1800s? Did an ancestor of yours build a house in the newly created Craigdarroch subdivision of 1910?
If you think you have — or think you may have — information that could help us in our research please contact us today!