The Irving House is a heritage site residing in

New Westminster New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the cap ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. It is a one and a half storey tall building which is known to be the oldest house in the

Lower Mainland The Lower Mainland is a geographic and cultural region of the mainland coast of British Columbia that generally comprises the regional districts of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. Home to approximately 3.05million people as of the 2021 ...

that is still completely intact. It is located at the corner of Royal Avenue and Merivale Street in its original location. Today, it is a museum open to the public for those who wish to explore colonial history during the time of pioneer expansion in the Lower Mainland.

History

The home was built by Captain William Irving in 1865 to house his family of a wife and five children. It was built during a time when the city of New Westminster was beginning to be constructed after the dissolving of the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

in 1863. Since the house's construction, it has housed three generations of the Irving family until 1950. After this date, the City of New Westminster established the home as a heritage site and transformed it into a museum with the goal of educating the local public about the colonial history of the city. In 2009, staff at the museum discovered papers in the house's upper hallway and entrance that were estimated to have been created between the years 1897–1903. Upon this discovery, they were redone, printed in England, and then reshipped back to the home for installation. The house, since 2011, has undergone a number of restorations such as a modern fire and electrical system. Along with this, the house's infrastructure was restored as part of a project to restore its original appearance. An example of this is the repairing and repainting of the house's exterior, along with the restoration of the house's original gold wallpapers in April 2018. More work to complete its full restoration can be expected in the future.

Features

* 4700 square feet, consisting of 14 rooms. * Built with a brick foundation and wooden construction. *

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

style architecture. * Metallic gold wallpapers.

References

{{New Westminster History of New Westminster Buildings and structures in New Westminster Museums in British Columbia