Point Ellice House Victoria
Gold Rush Magistrate and Commissioner Peter O'Reilly acquired Point Ellice House in 1867, and many among Victoria's social elite gathered there. The flowers in the luxuriant heritage gardens surrounding this rambling Italianate home accurately reflect the family's own notes about their Victorian favourites. The property is like a verdant jewel amid the industries and businesses along the Victoria waterfront. Point Ellice is also nationally designated and is considered Western Canada's finest collection of Victoriana in its original setting.
All Photo Credits: BC Heritage
The Point Ellice House Gift Shop is located in the Visitor Centre, a new two-storey building that has been built to represent a structure that used to be on the property. Many of the wonderful items in the shop capture gardening themes in imaginative ways, and you'll also find books and botanicals here!
No visit to Point Ellice is complete without a good look at the Point Ellice Garden. This is a beautiful, restored garden and we have included lots of information on our research resources - archival photographs, 19th century seed catalogues, Victorian gardening tools, heirloom roses and some amazing discoveries during garden restoration. Of particular note are the heritage Roses - many can be dated to a garden plan written by Peter O'Reilly in 1889!
Overlooking the waters of Victoria's scenic Gorge Waterway, Point Ellice House is, again, where the 'locals' go to enjoy Afternoon Tea! And just as British Navy officers and other guests could do over a hundred years ago, you can still be dropped off at the dock! Today you can step aboard the Harbour Ferry in front of the Empress Hotel and take a leisurely tour past Victoria's Old Town on your way to Point Ellice. Of course, you can arrive by land as well!
Where you'll find us
Point Ellice House is at 2616 Pleasant Street, near the Bay Street Bridge. Approaching from downtown Victoria along Bay Street, traveling west toward the Bridge, turn north on to Pleasant Street where you see the large Point Ellice House sign. (If you're traveling east across the Bridge, a left turn on to Pleasant is not permitted, so proceed to one of the next streets to turn left and loop back to Pleasant) Visitors coming southward into Victoria (e.g.. from the Mill Bay, Swartz Bay, or Sidney ferry terminals) only need to turn right (west) on to Bay Street.
When we're open
We are open seasonally, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, May to September.
Tea is served between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm.
Reservations (for tea) are recommended.
Want more info
- Call us at (250) 380-6506
- Write to us at:
Point Ellice House
2616 Pleasant Street
Victoria, B.C. V8T 4V3
Canada
Best of all, visit us yourself this summer!
Special web link:
Point Ellice Collection of Household Victoriana is a comprehensive web site with extensively illustrated background on all aspects of Point Ellice history and the vast O'Reilly collection
