News & Other Posts
The importance of volunteers at Craigdarroch Castle.
By John Hughes, Executive Director In my time at the Castle, I’ve had the opportunity to work with many volunteers. Through our busiest years we’ve had as many as...
Barleith – The Birthplace of Robert Dunsmuir
By Bruce Davies with research assistance from Jenny Seeman In October 2023 I traveled to Newton Stewart, Scotland, to spend time with a descendant of Robert and...
Fully Wired for Electric Power
One of the most frequently asked questions by visitors at Craigdarroch Castle is, “did this place have electricity back in the day?” Despite being built in 1890 and the...
Dangerous paint: Scheele’s Green
There have been many examples throughout history of people using technology and materials that inevitably proved to be less than safe. From the lead pipes of ancient Rome...
Craigdarroch Castle in 21 Treasures
Craigdarroch Castle in 21 Treasures is a fascinating look at the Castle's collection, featuring beautiful colour photographs, in which author, Moira Dann presents an...
Plans Underway to Restore Dunsmuir Era Kitchen
Craigdarroch Castle Receives Heritage Infrastructure Funding Craigdarroch Castle has received $288,000 in heritage infrastructure funding as announced by Heritage BC and...
Masonry Conservation
Excerpts from Restoration Manager Frank Tosczak's Reports Work on the tower masonry started early in 2020 before the pandemic began to affect us. Inspection and...
Victorian Women and Parlour Art – Taxidermy
By Eliane Pineault-B. Like waxwork and hair work, taxidermy was another popular technique used by Victorian women to decorate their home. In the nineteenth century,...
Victorian Women and Parlour Art – Hair Work
By Eliane Pineault-B. As seen in part one of this series, many middle and upper-class women of the Victorian era were encouraged to create parlour art as pastimes in...
Victorian Women and Parlour Art – Waxwork
By Eliane Pineault-B. The Industrial Revolution resulted in many changes in the every day lives of Victorians; from the development of the middle class to the change of...
Mauchline Ware – The Scottish Souvenirs
By Eliane Pineault-B. [Fig. 1] Pincushion. Wood, silk & velvet, 4 x 6.5 cm. Craigdarroch Castle 2008.005.128. Among the many artifacts Craigdarroch Castle has in its...
Thank You Volunteers!
With over 40 regular volunteers at Craigdarroch Castle, this National Volunteers Week we would like to extend an enormous thank you to them, for their passion in...
Colouring Isn’t Just for Kids!
Why not take a break from the news, and spend a few minutes relaxing and unwinding with the latest digital installment of the Craigdarroch Castle coloring book? Get your...
Hello from the Craigdarroch Castle Clan
Are you looking for ways to entertain the little ones? We will be releasing pages from the Craigdarroch Castle official colouring book. Just print them out and get...
La Riche Canadienne – The Music of Elinor Dunsmuir
The CD, La Riche Canadienne: The Music of Elinor Dunsmuir (1887-1938) features 30 tracks, a mix of music for voice and piano and chamber music for piano and strings and...
Everything But Patience in Ward 9
By Rita Hammett This article was written for The Torch, vol. 4 No. 3, in the summer of 1985. On the third floor of Craigdarroch Castle there is a small room on the north...
The Dunsmuir Family and Robert Burns
Robert and Joan Dunsmuir didn't lose their fondness for Scotland and things Scottish after moving to Vancouver Island. But unfortunately, no early family diaries...
Christmas at Craigdarroch
A Brief Guide to Christmas for Fans of Craigdarroch Castle From Bruce Davies, Curator No one knows exactly how the Dunsmuirs celebrated Christmas at Craigdarroch. If they...