rs CNS . Wednesday, February 16, 2000 _ OE wigunded yoGunnhadd : f t Robyn Chambers Peninsula News Review - t's a property steeped in history. . Nestled in the rolling hills of Cen- . tral Saanich, Bannockburn is a strong representation of a lifestyle long since gone on the Peninsula. Established in 1857, the house has seen many changes to both its struc- ture and the land that it sits on. The acreage has been slowly. whittled down’ from its original 1,000 acres under its ‘first owner, William Thomson, to its. ~ present three acres. The house itself has almost come full circle — from a simple add-on, to an orange and green _ shag carpet (with pink bathroom appli- “ances) of the 1970s and 80s era, to as-. phait shingies i in the early 1990s, and” ~-now back to a historic 1880 look... - RE REA FERRE EG AU Se STE Tw ES SES ES SF ROBYN CHAMBERS PHOTO away in, modern times,” said Jack and | Heather Waters, speaking. of their der. sire to renovate the home. - - ee >. The homestead has seenas. many : owners as. it. has ‘different looks.. It: ‘passed through three generations of’ into the Waters’ possession. | ~. Many: consider Thomson the. “Rae “ ther of Central Saanich,” in respect to ; his pioneering on the Peninsula. . ~. But‘the property fell out of Thom-' “gon hands when, according to Jack, there was no one in the family who: _was willing to tackle the enormous task of restoring the house to its for- ‘mer glory. “There were great-grand nieces and nephews around, but none of them wanted the task of rebuilding or restor- ing the home,” said Jack. Since their purchase in 1996, the Waters have poured heart and soul into restoring the home, and preserv-: ing it asa keeppalle ¢ of the past. Further development of the Ban- nockburn homesite as a heritage home has hit 2 slight bump in the road, The home, located on Mt. Newton Cross Road, is the third oldest home- stead in the region, cance, and support for renovation from Central Saanich council, the proposal in accordance with the Heritage Revi- talization Agreement signed hetween council and the Waters, the Provincial Agricultural Land Commission has “turned down the application . In a letter to the Waters, the ALC. i : This i is a lifestyle that is slipping: £3 : house itself,” said Waters. => me «He explained: that. the: Salle are. 3 - stood up and “toenailed,”: into the floor, : - which lays.on a stone foundation... “The chimneys are an integral part’ s - of the structure. They span from the - _ thé, Thomson: family. before: coming} i: But in spite of the heritage signifi- to subdivide the three-acre property, is pointed out that subdividing the piece” © of land, which is a part of the Agricul-,. ~ “tural Land Conmission, may seta: precedent for other parcels within the » reserve, That, in turn, may. facilitate an asi ei NEWS Modern day pioneers Jack and Heather Waters — will they see their - . dream come true? It’s in the hands of the Land Commission. According to Jack, there are only three buildings in Victoria that are older than Bannockburn, . which ‘earned its name from a significant bat- ‘tle where the Scots defeated the - British. “Partly-to honor that and the people who had died (in that battle),”». said Jack of the name ae made by : Thomson. : The house i is unique: in a. duc tb the. stress-construction method that was used to. build ite. -. “There: is,.no; framewor ‘ground right through to the roof.” The chimneys are used as the stabi: -fizers in place of the missing frame- “work, he said. “Everything is built like a house of cards, so each piece holds the other up.” In spite of all the time that has passed, the Waterss are impressed that © the original glass panels remain. Some panels contain etchings from some of the inhabitants through the years, “They had borrowed their mother’s ~ diamond ring at different times and _ scratched their initials and names in increase in agricultural land prices and the decline of agricultural activity in the area. The letter stated: “The intent of the {Agricultural Land Commission] Act is to preserve and protect agri icultural ‘lands and farm communities in the long-term, and the commission truly felt that your application. was not in keeping with that mandate.” But Lori Waters, acting on behalf of her parents in the application process, believes that the division of the prop: erly would not seta precedent as the Heritage Revitalization Agreement is. ‘unique to the Bannockburn Property : ~ and is site specific, ee “Unique cases are just, that, They don't seta precedent,” she said, making a ser ious allemptto maintain the agricultur a viability of the land, - tined to be thrown in the trash to get a. - comprehensive understanding of how... the house used to look and where they . . -should start in their restoration. From: ' those records, they. surmised that | “served and saved,” “And she believes that her family is. the window,” said Jack. Through: the years, pieces of the: = land have been sold off gradually and : given to family members. - “When the old man died, aie farm : shriveled — the farming’ basically stopped and the farm lands were di-.- - vided amongst the children,” he s said. In the early days, the farm served as 4 1e Main source of food supply for Fort - Victoria ‘and Victoria City; providing — ~. butter, eggs, mutton, pigs, and cattle. - But uncovering the unusual pastof _ this home has been no easy feat. The” :Waters’ have had: to sort. through | farn- ily Jetters and old diaries that were des- there were two attempts to restore: or upgrade the home sometime around 1940 and again in 1970. And now Heather and Jack see noth- _ ing but potential when they look at: Bannockburn. “Because it’s the oldest homestead we have — that’s why it should be pre- they. said. “You look around and the majority of the stuff that was built around the 1900s has been destroyed.” vs but will the restoration be complete? — “We are the first people to farm the . land in 90 years and we've put a lot of energy and money into farming the land,” she said, pointing out. that they have plans to expand the existing vineyard site. “We are clearly showing an intent to | 1 ~ farm and have put a substantial invest. ment into making the farm work." In the meantime, Waters is prepar- ing a comprehensive response 10 the turn outin their favor, we have the support of the Heritage Commission,” she said. think we just have to keep the ball tolling.” At the regular meeting of council “Jan, 24, council voted (o refer the ap- i plication back to the ALC without sup : 1" ae le documentation, @ Learn about the barely tapped growth potential of the : new Internet economy. : ALC’s reply and is hopeful that it iy “Tam positive, and I. know that we have council support and 1 know that. AUTHORITY AIRPORT CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE MEETING ++ Tuesday, 22nd February, 9:30 am Seventh Day Adventist Church Hall 9300 Willingdon Road (Airport approach road) + cont more information call. -- ici Lac 8 Discover Cisco’s strategy for keeping its s competitive edge. . & Hear a live interview with John Chambers, the dynamic _ CEO of a gious technology leader. ; March. 1, 2000 9-10 am ‘and 7-8 pm (Re-Broadeast) The program is ‘free, but seating is limited. Call or step by today: for reservations. You may me ask to see a vies of this, cNecaras : ; Kelly A. - Oglow wa - 2403 Beacon Ave. «: - Sidney, BC'V8L-1X5. “Bus: 656-8797. dwardjones.com Memner CIF: we The largest and newest ‘Chinese and Szechuan Buffet Daily Dinner Buffet — Mon-Thurs 5 pm to 9 pm adult $9.95 / children $6.95 /snrs. 10% off Fri, Sat & Sun Seafood Buffet Fri-Sat. 5 prn to 9 pm __ adult $12.95 / children $6. 16.95 , /snrs. 10% off Daily Lunch h Buffet Tlam.to 3 pm Mon. fn $6. 95 Js Sun $8. 95 / Sen 10% off / Chil 10 $4. 95 Dining Room Menu Special Dinner for 2 surting from $15.99 Dinner for % starting tram $22.95 - Dinner for & starting from G32. 2 ae ~ Above offer includes dessert. surts Mon, Feb, 14 until March 31, POrid. ACKILRORD IUD BEG th Mt inh bette Mr er Ay: gy vy sven thant amnelt ile "381-6668 190 Aldaremith Pie: (Nelson Square) ~, Next to Admirals Walle, . ¢lose ta ney Foods. i ‘iow vad Me ti Hayawond's re 2 Restaurant