It began in 2017 when the Craigdarroch Castle staff started work to restore the castle’s kitchen.
After planning, overcoming construction obstacles and dedication to transforming the space, the popular Greater Victoria attraction officially unveiled the restored Dunsmuir-era kitchen.
“We are excited to share the culmination of years of dedication, meticulous work and a shared passion for preserving the past,” said Craigdarroch Castle executive director John Hughes. “A kitchen is a place that attracts us all and has a universal language. In our surveys, 86 per cent of visitors to Craigdarroch Castle expressed a desire to experience the kitchen, and to learn more about the servants’ activities and food preparation in the Dunsmuir era.”
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To restore the kitchen, the castle received $280,000 from Heritage BC and the provincial government to support the upgrades. “We as a province are so pleased to be able to support this project,” said Tourism Minister Lana Popham. “People who come whether they’re from Victoria, the island, or anywhere else around the world. It’s an important story to tell and you need to have all the pieces in place.”
Before the kitchen was restored, the castle’s museum gift shop was occupying the space, but now that area will be relocated to the castle’s visitor centre.
Doing work on the kitchen was not a piece of cake.
It included doing the restoration and replacement of shutters, new wainscoting and mouldings around windows and doors, repair and painting of plaster surfaces and the installation of flooring.
“There’s a lot of what happens with an infrastructure project that ends up under your feet behind the walls and our visitors don’t necessarily understand what is going on,” said Hughes.
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Popham said she is also thrilled about the job opportunities to come for British Columbia in the tourism industry.
“The tourism investments we’ve made in regions throughout the province are creating a more vibrant British Columbia for everyone, and Craigdarroch Castle is an incredible example of how spaces like this create welcoming, educational and fun experiences for residents and tourists,” said Popham.
This restoration marks the completion of the first phase of the kitchen’s upgrades.
Now the Craigdarroch Castle staff is asking the public what they want to see when they visit the kitchen.
“In the kitchen we actually have a little notepad and ask people what they want to see in the kitchen. The number-one thing people want is to see food,” said Hughes. “There is some thought that we could use technology. For example, there are some really wonderful image generators, where if you step in front and you move your hand, you can move your hand to a pot on a stove or a plate on the table.”
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