Two Saanich homes with deep ties to the region were among the winners of the annual Hallmark Heritage Society Awards.
The awards went to homes of Vicki and Dennis Sanders at 3956 Stan Wright Lane, and Genevieve and Wayne Fatt at 6187 Hunt Rd.
Muriel and Albert Evans built the Sanders’ home in 1937 as part of a holly farm in representing early farm settlements in the Lake Hill area. The society noted in its remarks that the building represents a fine example of period revival-cottage style architecture and reflects the value of the community from the early 1900s to today. It features picturesque massing and traditional details such as multi-paned and diamond-paned leaded windows, half-timbering and a segmental arched entry porch among other elements.
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The home stands on land that the Hudson’s Bay Company once owned, and represents early farm settlements in the Lake Hill area. The land around the building was once part of the North Dairy Farm, one of three HBC farms in the Greater Victoria region. The lot emerged out of a 1901 subdivision. Stanley Victor Wright (1906-2001), a prominent periodical distributor on Vancouver Island, and his wife Margaret (née Wilson), whose family first settled in Victoria in 1859, purchased the home in 1958.
Sanders, Wright’s daughter, and her husband purchased the house to save it from demolition. Over the years, they have undertaken extensive renovations and restorations of the house. They include a new foundation, improved access, upgraded electrical and plumbing, and new roofing. Sanders, who served on Saanich council from 2005 to 2018, describes 3956 Stan Wright Lane as an example of “retaining heritage values while attaining energy efficiency.”
Herbert Edward Burbidge built the house at 6187 Hunt Rd. A prominent local employee for the Hudson’s Bay Company, Burbidge built the home in stages, starting in 1912, when the one-storey section on the east side served as a summer cottage. The design of the two-storey main section, built circa 1916, is attributed to Vancouver-based architect Henry H. Gillingham.
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The society said in its remarks that this distinctive residence displays a number of features typical of the British arts and crafts style, including half-timbering and multi-paned casement windows on the upper level of the main floor, cedar shingles and diamond-paned leaded lights on the main level and a jettied upper level on the west side.
Located at the border between Saanich and Central Saanich, it has been subdivided from the original larger farm property, which the Fatt Family continues to farm. The family, which has been farming in the region for more than 100 years, operates both Islands West Produce and Portofino European Bakery.
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