Point Ellice House has undergone renovations and will open with a new exhibit. (Facebook/ Point Ellice House Museum & Gardens)

Victoria’s Point Ellice heritage gardens and exhibit space set to reopen

The historic house will remain closed to the public due to public health measures

  • May. 19, 2021 12:00 a.m.

Point Ellice House Museum reopens some of its doors to visitors May 22 following closure as a result of the pandemic.

By appointment and donation, visits can be booked online for noon to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Visitors will have access to the museum’s ongoing “Springs and Scavengers” exhibit – which dives into Victoria’s 19th-century water and waste management systems – as well as the recently rehabilitated South Garden. The Point Ellice house itself will remain closed.

“By relaunching the exhibit for 2021, we hope to connect more visitors with the personal and political history of waste and water in Victoria,” said Kelly Black, Point Ellice House Museum and Gardens executive director. “Overall, we are excited to show people what we have been up to while the doors were closed, and we hope visitors will take away a renewed sense of just how important museums and heritage sites are in our communities.”

RELATED STORY: Point Ellice House in Victoria looks to patch up during pandemic

Despite the new exhibit July 2020, Black said reduced hours and admission as a result of public health measures “made us question whether or not Point Ellice House would be able to reopen in 2021.” According to estimates from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), one in three museums around the world may close as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Luckily, emergency funding and a dedicated team of staff and volunteers allowed us to remain working and pivot to online engagement,” Black said.

RELATED STORY: New branch of Royal BC Museum to be built in Colwood


Do you have a story tip? Email: vnc.editorial@blackpress.ca.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

Victoria News