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Hello to our valued volunteers!

Craigdarroch Castle Receives Heritage Infrastructure Funding - Plans Underway to Restore Dunsmuir Era Kitchen

I'm pleased to say that we received $288,000 in heritage infrastructure funding as announced by Heritage BC and the Province of British Columbia at the end of February.

The funds received by Craigdarroch Castle will be used to bring the Kitchen back to the Dunsmuir Era. As you know, the Kitchen and Pantry rooms were radically altered in 1919 with the opening of the Craigdarroch Military Hospital. Walls, windows, moulding and floors were removed along with mechanical elements such as the laundry chute and annunciator panel for the intercom (speaking tubes). The food preparation spaces will be returned to the Dunsmuir era in accordance with the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada.

Plans have been underway for the addition of the Dunsmuir era Kitchen to the museum since 2017 when the Museum gift shop, which had been occupying the kitchen space, was relocated to the new Castle Visitor Centre.

A Kitchen is a place that attracts us all and has a universal language. In our surveys 86% of visitors to Craigdarroch Castle expressed a desire to experience the Kitchen, and to learn more about the servant’s activities and food preparation in the Dunsmuir era.

The work to the Kitchen will include; the restoration and replacement of shutters, new wainscoting and mouldings around windows and doors, repair and painting of plaster surfaces and the installation of flooring.

Craigdarroch Castle gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.

As the project progresses we will provide more details and photographs on the work that Frank and Neil are doing.

Thank you for your patience, commitment to the Society and for staying in touch with us over the last few months. I am grateful for your continued engagement and look forward to working with you as we adjust to the many changes we must make.

With gratitude

John Hughes
Executive Director
jhughes@thecastle.ca

Here is the link to Bruce's kitchen presentation. Bruce's Video