Check out this video clip from The Express on Shaw Cable Vancouver. The piece about TLC’s Eagles Estate Heritage Garden features our head gardener, Laura Ralph and our volunteer extraordinaire, Rimka Laman at our garden party during the summer.

Thousands of volunteer hours have transformed a once badly deteriorated space back into an elegant 1860s Dining Room for all to admire. The ornate mirror reflects the glow of a handsome oil-lamp, hanging over a dining table set for breakfast with period china. Dark Victorian furniture and an oriental carpet set off the classic wallpaper and heavy velvet drapes. Every detail is appropriate to the 1860s period in which the Villa was built, and represents an astonishing labour of love by a number of heritage professionals and skilled artisans and artists. Specialist craftspeople on the project have included an historic wallpaper designer, a retired paperhanger, a lath-and-plaster expert, a conservator, a heritage carpenter, a cabinet-maker, a heritage mason, and a textile specialist. But many more of the volunteers are everyday people with a love for heritage, all of whom have painstakingly scraped away the layers of paint and wallpaper, and restored the original baseboards, door, frames, floor, glass, and fireplace.

“TLC is extremely lucky to have such a wonderful group of dedicated volunteers,” says Deborah Hudson, TLC’s Vancouver Island Regional Manager. “A number of volunteers have been working weekly at the Villa for 10 years or more.”  

“Time: That’s what it took to make this room and project a success,” says professional conservator Simone Vogel-Horridge. “Restoring the plaster ceiling-rose alone probably took a hundred hours, with volunteers working on a scaffold at neck-breaking angles! And every Saturday you can find a volunteer working away methodically on a section of the Villa, and the results are breathtaking. When you walk into the Dining Room, it is like you are going to sit down for dinner with the Roscoes, the original family to occupy the home in 1865.”

Please join TLC’s Ross Bay Villa Labour Day Lawn Party on Monday, September 6, 1 – 4 p.m. Admission to the grounds and heritage group displays are free. Visitors may also enjoy a comprehensive tour of the Villa for an additional $7.00 and traditional ‘Cream Tea’ on the lawn for $7.00. Period 1800s music will also be provided by the Windrift Woodwind Quintet.

Ross Bay Villa is a rare 1865 colonial cottage, one of about a dozen buildings of this era known to survive in the Capital Region. Located at 1490 Fairfield Road in Victoria, this historic site is directly opposite historic Ross Bay Cemetery. TLC purchased the property in April 1999 rescuing it from demolition. Under professional guidance, a dedicated group of volunteers is bringing the building back to its 1865 appearance. TLC intends to restore the building as a multi-use facility including period rooms and interpretive displays open to the public, and office rental space for local heritage organizations. With the restoration nearly complete, the Old Cemeteries Society is poised to be the first group to move into one of the offices. The 1860s style garden will also be available for small gatherings such as weddings.

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For further information:

Heather Skydt, TLC Communications Manager, 604-733-2313, hskydt@conservancy.bc.ca

Bill Turner, TLC Executive Director, 250-479-8053, bturner@conservancy.bc.ca

Note to editors: interviews with volunteers available through TLC

Please visit our photo gallery of Ross Bay Villa.

Visit the grounds – free heritage displays.

Tea & Scones served on the lawn – $7.

Guided house tours – $7.

Last night Jazzi Abhkazi was a huge success for both the Garden and for TLC more specifically. Every table was occupied and ready for a Mediterranean dinner full with yogurt glazed lamb skewers, couscous salad along with a Greek Salad, and spanakopita. In the hot summer sun, guests also enjoyed a special treat of ice cream. Chairs were placed on the lawn and string performers from the Civic Orchestra of Victoria engaged the more than 50 guests in attendance with classics: ‘Barberini Minuet’, ‘Spanish Dance’. ‘Mozart Quartet #3’, ‘Winter’s Willow’, ‘Haydn Quartet #75’, ‘Danny Boy’, ‘Mozart Divertimento III’, ‘Ave Verum’, ‘Pavane’, and ‘Moon River’.

Guests from all walks of life strolled through the garden admiring the flowering clerodendrum, salvia and roses as notes filled the natural setting. Hummingbirds flew over the string quartet (The Stroud Strings) and even a bald eagle was spotted. It was as if all elements were coming together perfectly at Jazzi Abhkazi. One visitor from Norway commented on the beauty of the garden and the organization of the event, which was a highlight of his trip thus far. As the evening wrapped up, clouds moved in overhead almost a natural way to end the evening. Some guests bought plants from Abhkazi to enjoy in their own gardens and everyone left with smiles on their face.

Don’t miss next week’s Jazzi Abkhazi for your chance to enjoy some live music and great food. Admission is $10. If you’re not a TLC member you can sign up at Abkhazi Garden or online at conservancy.bc.ca. Come early to ensure a spot and to enjoy the chef’s tasty creations. Dinner is served at 6 p.m. and the band starts at 7 p.m. and plays until 8:30 p.m.

For the last few months, we have been sharing reasons for you to become a TLC Member. Now it’s your turn to tell us your reason. TLC is launching a multimedia contest to discover your reasons for becoming a TLC Member.

Go to one of your special places in B.C. and tell us via photo or video why you think it’s important for TLC to save natural areas, heritage sites, and agricultural lands throughout the province.

Enter and WIN:

1^st prize – $100 shopping spree at Mountain Equipment Co-op
2^nd prize – a fair trade organic cotton t-shirt from NATE organics
3^rd prize – one of a kind TLC swag pack

There will also be a special category, Million Reasons Challenge, with an additional prize of a $50 MEC gift certificate for individuals who document themselves and their different reasons at as many different TLC properties and events as possible. Event opportunities for the Million Reasons Challenge can be found in the TLC Summer Event Guide and on our website under our properties landing page.

For more information, on MEC or NATE organics, please visit http://mec.ca or http://nateorganics.com/. For more information and how to submit, check out the Million Reasons Contest page. Deadline for entries is August 15.

Binning's studio. Photo by Heather Skydt

TLC will be offering guided tours for the general public of the B.C. Binning Residence from July 7 to August 28. This is an exciting opportunity for locals and people in the Lower Mainland to learn more about a West Coast icon. Bertram Charles (B.C.) Binning was a cutting edge Canadian artist who worked from the 1940s to ’70s in the fine arts field, painting, designing and sketching, in addition to being the founder of the UBC Faculty of Fine Arts in the mid 1940s. He drew his inspiration from what surrounded him, which included the Pacific Northwest, his wife Jessie, and the Early Modern movement.

In 1941, B.C. Binning embarked on a project of designing a house that would result in being a defining example of West Coast modern architecture. He designed a thoroughly modern home, influenced by European modernism in West Vancouver. With the advice and consultation of friend Ned Pratt (of Thompson, Berwick & Pratt Architects Ltd.), the home became Binning’s creative epicenter where his personal interest in combining art and architecture are clearly evident. The Binning Residence has been deemed both a National Historic and Municipal Heritage Site. Over the years, the home has hosted and influenced (now) famous Canadian architects, such as Arthur Erickson.

By attending the tours, people will be supporting TLC in raising funds and awareness to help maintain and restore the house. An arrangement was reached in 2008 between the executors of the Jessie Binning Estate and TLC in order for TLC to become the owner of the site.  However, to successfully manage the continuing maintenance of the 1,540 sq. ft. bungalow, TLC requires continuing aid. 

Tours are offered every Wednesday (1 p.m.) and Saturday (11a.m. and 2 p.m.) from July 7 to August 28, 2010. Admission by donation. Advanced registration is required at ktaylor@conservancy.bc.ca or 604-733-2313.

Birdbox building at Eagles Estate Garden Party. Photo by Heather Skydt

Thank you to TLC Members, Burnaby residents, and Eagles Estate neighbours for attending our garden party on Sunday, July 25 from 1-4 p.m. It was great meeting everyone, and we believe a good time was had by all. The homemade goodies and punch were a hit with the crowds as were the children’s activities of owl mask colouring and birdbox building. Tours of the gardens at Eagles Estate were well attended and many people commented on how wonderful it was to see inside the “glass house” known as Baldwin House. We hope to see you all again next year, and feel free to bring your friends and family for another visit to see the garden at different seasons throughout the year.

Head Gardener Laura Ralph takes a group of keen participants around the garden to learn about the beautiful landscape. Photo by Heather Skydt

Nicole Coupland working hard at TLC's membership booth. Photo by Heather Skydt

July 7^th 2010 was the first evening of musical performances to be held at Victoria’s Abkhazi Garden weekly Jazzi Abkhazi event. The band went on at 7 pm and Abkhazi Garden was ‘jumpin’.  The garden, which was purchased by TLC in 2000, will host Jazzi Abkhazi – a series of open-air musical performances and menu selections – on Wednesday evenings in July and August 2010. “What a beautiful evening for live music in the garden” one of the more than 50 guests in attendance commented. And it sure was. The weather was hot and the sun beat down on Brianne de Verteuil & Her Savvy 6 who performed while picnic dinners and ice cream was served to guests by the warm Abkhazi Garden staff and TLC volunteers. The band was dressed appropriately for a garden party and they entertained guests in the heritage garden and on the tea house patio.

 The music was a blend of 1930s and 1940s jazz and bebop and the band complimented the scenery and sounds of the garden.  Brianne de Verti led the group with her trumpeting and vocals, Joe on Clarinet, Erin on piano, Ian on drums, Steve on Bass and Julie on clarinet and trumpet and accompanied by the vocals of Claire Stewart.  One band member said that Abkhazi Garden was “the most beautiful place [they’ve] ever played”. 

 During Brianne de Verti & Her Savvy 6’s hour and a half set they performed classics like: “Dawn of the dessert”, “Rockin’ and rhythm”, “Creole love call”, “It’s wonderful”, “Humoresque”, “St. Louis Blues”, “Choo, Choo Ch’boogie”, “I love the way you make me laugh, the way you make me smile” among other Jazz and bebop hits. There was even a call out to all the Scots in the crowd before the classic “You take the high road” was performed. The band’s enthusiasm got some guests dancing in the crowd. It was appropriate to end the evening with a couple of well known tunes “This joint is jumpin”, “settled back” and Ella Fitzgerald’s rendition of “Undecided”. The band ended the evening by thanking the guests and Brianne’s memorable last words summed up the entire evening “Although us musicians could never live in this house, at least we can play at it”.

 The band was not alone in their excitement to attend Jazzi Abkhazi, one guest’s words said it all: “we’ve been waiting for this event for such a long time”. This family-friendly night drew in people of all ages, singles, families, dogs and people who just love live music. But that was not all that was special about this evening. The menu featured: BBQ prawns with grilled mango in a coconut curry vegetables and rice*. Dinner was served from 6pm to 7:15 pm and the band went on at 7 pm.

 Don’t miss next week’s Jazzi Abkhazi for your chance to enjoy some live music and great dinner creations. Admission is $10. If you’re not a TLC member you can sign up at Abkhazi Garden or online at conservancy.bc.ca. Come early to ensure a spot and to enjoy the chef’s tasty creations. Dinner is served at 6 pm and the band starts at 7 pm and plays until 8:30 pm. As a local Victoria resident I highly suggest checking out this family-oriented inexpensive event when planning your summer activities.

 Thanks!

 * Admission to each concert is $10.00.  Arrive at 6:00pm and enjoy a picnic dinner of BBQ prawns, grilled mangos, and curried vegetables served over rice, as well as vanilla ice cream in a waffle cone, and selected beverages. ($12.00 for picnic meals, $3.00 for ice cream, $2.00 for beverages)

Music Schedule

 Brianne de Verteuil and her Savvy 6

Chamber jazz/Swing tunes from the 30s & 40s

July 7, August 18

Bird on the Wire

July 14, August 11, August 25

Stroud Strings

Composed of members of the Civic Orchestra.  Light, classical, and beyond.

July 21, August 4

Windrift Woodwind Quartet

Serenade and concert classics from the 19^th and 20^th centuries

July 28

(schedule subject to change)

The perfect place to spend a summer evening!

 1964 Fairfield Road

250 598 8096

www.abkhazi.com

During the stabilization, three concrete pads were poured just outside the wall of the building. Horizontal beams were laid in place, resting on the concrete and extending under the floor of the Great Hall. From these, upright pillars were inserted to support the ceiling. All of this was done without the use of fasteners in the original wood of the structure so that this temporary support can be removed during future restoration without leaving its mark.

Changes have also happened outside of the house as volunteers have been working to improve the flower beds. Not only did the crew removed enough ivy to fill four large compost bins, but they have left their mark as beautiful tulips, iris, columbine, primulas, peonies, roses and blue bells are thriving for all to enjoy.

Keating Farm Estate will be open to visitors on Sundays from 1-4 p.m., July 4^th to September 19^th. A donation of $5 per person is requested and there is no need to book ahead. Keating Farm Estate is located in the Cowichan Valley at 5250 Miller Road near Duncan. Click here for a map and directions.

Visitors will have a chance to see the Great Hall and the adjoining panelled dining room built for Andrew Keating in 1894 by the renowned architect John Tiarks. Surrounding the house on this 27-acre property are heritage orchards, many farm buildings including the picturesque hay barn and milking parlour, and fields, forest and even a small stream. Light refreshments will be available by donation in the shade of the nut orchard.

For more information about visiting or volunteering phone 250-737-1401 or email keatingfarm@conservancy.bc.ca . Special tours can be arranged for groups of ten or more.

Celebrate the season at TLC’s Summer Garden Party on Sunday, July 25 from 1-4 p.m. at Eagles Estate Heritage Garden. Bring your family and friends for an afternoon of games, refreshments, and fun on the shores of beautiful Deer Lake in Burnaby. There will be guided tours of Eagles Estate and the Arthur Erickson designed Baldwin House, with croquet, bird house building and face painting for old and young alike. Meet TLC staff, members, volunteers, and community partners while learning about the importance of protecting our local heritage. We look forward to seeing you there!

Please phone 604-733-2313 or email at mmurray@conservancy.bc.ca for more information and directions.

Free parking is available next to the Deer Lake boat rentals and along the south side of Sperling Ave.

Abkhazi Garden is pleased to host the Jazzi Abkhazi music series starting Wednesday, July 7.

Prepare to be entranced by the garden in the evening light and well entertained by an array of local musicians featuring a variety of music styles – jazz included.

Come at 6:00 and enjoy a picnic-style dinner from our restaurant.  The musicians will begin playing at 7:00 p.m.  Seating is limited so consider bringing your own chair or a blanket. 

Concert Schedule:

Bird on a Wire

A potpourri of easy-listening classics and popular tunes

July 14, August 11, August 25

Stroud Strings

Composed of members of the Civic Orchestra;  light, classical, and beyond

July 21, August 4

Windrift Woodwind Quartet

Serenade and concert classics from the 19th and 20th centuries

July 28

Brianne de Verteuil and her Savvy 6

Chamber jazz/swing tunes from the 30s & 40s

August 18

Come out and enjoy these fun-filled evenings! 
Special Event Fee: $10 per person.

Location: 1964 Fairfield Road (at Foul Bay)
250-598-8096 

The Gorge Canada Day Picnic will include Craigflower along with other great things to do http://www.gorgetillicum.ca/picnic.php

B.C. Binning House will be hosting their 2^nd annual Canada Day Open House: http://blog.conservancy.bc.ca/2010/06/canada-day-at-the-b-c-binning-residence/

For those in the Kootenays, TLC’s Associated Site, the SS Moyie will host Canada Day celebrations: http://www.klhs.bc.ca/events.htm

While not quite on Canada Day, Keating will open for summer teas on Sunday: http://blog.conservancy.bc.ca/2010/06/keating-farm-estate-summer-open-hours/

Abkhazi, Wildwood and the Sooke Potholes Campground are also open for their regular hours.

Ross Bay Villa

The Ross Bay Villa Lawn Party that was scheduled for July 1st has recently been postponed to Labour Day Monday, September 6th. The dedicated volunteers at Ross Bay Villa have been hard at work and the lawn party in September will coincide with the grand opening of the newly restored dining room! Come tour the former home of Frank Roscoe, Victoria’s MP from 1874-1878, visit a number of information booths, and enjoy tea and scones in the beautifully restored period garden.

Ross Bay Villa Lawn Party,  Monday, September 6th, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. 1490 Fairfield Road,Victoria.

Ross Bay Villa is also open for tours the first Saturday of every month at 2 p.m. or for special group tours please call Deborah Hudson at 250-479-8053 or dhudson@conservancy.bc.ca.

Still looking for a way to celebrate Canada Day? Craigflower Schoolhouse will be open for tours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. as part of the Gorge Canada Day Picnic. Or take a stroll through Abkhazi Garden.

When: Thursday July 1^st 2010, from 1-4p.m.

Where: Binning Residence, 2968 Mathers Crescent, West Vancouver

Admission by Donation

Parking  is limited. Public transportation is encouraged.

For more information, please call 604-733-2313.