Deer Lake History - Eagles Estate Traditional Cache
Deer Lake History - Eagles Estate
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Formal gardens and an English Cottage invite you to come and visit.
The Deer Lake History caches will take you on a tour of Burnaby’s most unique heritage area. The area between Deer Lake and Burnaby Lake was the first settlement in Burnaby in 1861 along the Douglas Road stagecoach road to New Westminster. In 1956 the City Hall was relocated to the area because it was the geographical centre of the city (finally ending the north/south debate). Since that time there has been an active process to acquire the lake and adjacent lands for the enjoyment of the community. All the properties in the tour are owned by the City of Burnaby. Some have public use, some are leased to organizations, one is leased as a private residence. There is fascinating history behind some of these buildings. A City of Burnaby walking tour brochure can be found HERE.
Some of the caches can be drive up and each can be found on their own, but to catch the true flavour of the Deer Lake area, I would suggest parking at Deer Lake Beach and doing the caches in the the following order, taking the roadway on the way out and returning to your car along the lakeshore trail:
Baldwin House
Eagle's Estate
Avalon
Altnadene
Fairacres
Deerholme
You may also wish to take some time to visit the Burnaby Village Museum which you will encounter on your way built on the Elworth grounds – another heritage property. It has a number of important historical buildings moved to the site as well as replica buildings of the1920's setting. It also houses two restoration projects spearheaded and completed by volunteers - the 1912 era 1223 Interurban tram car, and the beautiful 1912 C W Parker carousel formerly located at Playland at the PNE. The museum has free admission for 2012 while carousel rides are available for $2.30.The facility is open Victoria Day to Labour Day, then over the Christmas season.
About this Cache:
Eagles Estate and gardens, 1935
Eagles Estate gardens, 1971
Dr. Blythe and Dr. Violet Eagles were not pioneers on Deer Lake but when they arrived in 1929 the immediately became involved with the community. Blythe was the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at UBC from 1949 - 1967 while Violet was regarded as one of the country's leading enzyme chemists. The Eagles were generous in hosting charity events, parties, and other gatherings in their gardens.
They built their home following the traditions of a romantic English Cottage in the Arts and Crafts style. Some features of the house include low overhanging eaves, the rustic door with forged hinges, and handcrafted exterior light sconces and rain troughs.
Inside the home a unique fireplace was built by Ernie Winch who subsequently went on to a career as a MLA serving from 1933 until his death in 1957. The house remains in virtually the same condition with only minor improvements in the 40s and 50s, down to the original 1929 "Garry Green" McClary Woodstove though it has now been converted to gas.
The home and gardens sit on a 1.6 acre terraced hillside above the south shore of Deer Lake. The gardens are recognized as a heritage landscape of regional importance. The partially woodland garden was designed by Frank E. Buck one of Canada's most notable pioneer horticulturalists. He was lured to UBC in 1920 to become a landscape architect and assistant professor. He laid out the original landscaping for the entire campus.
The City of Burnaby purchased the home in 1995 from UBC who inherited it from the Eagles. The Land Conservancy leases the building for their offices and have been working with volunteers and the City to restore the gardens to their former glory. Though the house is not open to the public the gardens are open dawn to dusk and there is an interpretative centre in the garage open from May to Oct, Mon - Sat from 9:00 - 5:00. The TLC website has more information and interesting videos of the estate. here
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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