Castle and Fort

On a cloudy and cool day we decided to explore a castle - the Hartley Castle, built by James and Laura Dunsmuir.  James is the son of Robert Dunsmuir who built the Craigdarroch Castle.  Robert used the same architect and designer that his father used and Laura created the beautiful gardens that surround the building. The interior is decorated in the arts and crafts style of the early 20th century.

Hartley was built in 1908-1910 and overlooks the Juan de Fuca Straight. The windows of the first floor look out on the croquet garden, the large front lawn and a naturally formed lagoon. 

We toured the large entryway, the dining room, sitting room and James own sitting room. The men in the tour were impressed with the large billiards room. You may recognize the building as it as been used in several recent movies such as X-Men, Deadpool and the Green Arrow. Today the building is part of the University and is used for office space and classrooms.

Just around the corner from the Castle is the Fort Rodd Hill Provincial Park and the Fisgard Lighthouse. The Fort was built to protect Canada from the possible Japanese invasion during WWII.  It still has the battery, gun placements, ammo depot, and barracks.

The Fisgard Lighthouse is, like most other lighthouses, automated but its last keeper left in 1929.  It points the way to the Esquimalt Harbour and Victoria Harbour.