memorabilia
Document/Book
Accession Number
2018.007Alternate Name
Frame;Money;One Dollar Bill;PhotographDescription
One gold-coloured frame containing a photograph of Craigdarroch Castle and its front gate during the occupancy of Joan Olive Dunsmuir, above the photograph a 1973 Canadian one dollar bill bearing an image of Queen Elizabeth II. Below that is a brass plaque with engraved lettering describing the piece as a presentation to the City of Victoria from the Craigdarroch Castle Historical Museum Society.Narrative
This object documents the Society’s 1994 purchase of Craigdarroch Castle from The City of Victoria. The Castle Society was formed in 1959. In 1969 it co-leased the Castle from the City with the Victoria Conservatory of Music and opened Craigdarroch’s largest rooms for public viewing. After the Conservatory vacated the Castle in December 1979, The Castle Society became the sole lessee and expanded its displays and broadened its conservation activities.In 1988, administrative difficulties at the Castle caused the Society and City to enter negotiations that would see management of the Castle operation pass to a new non-profit organization called Victoria Civic Heritage Trust. After nearly four years of negotiation and discussion, the City, the Trust, and the Society concluded that the Castle operation should continue to be managed by The Castle Society. At a subsequent meeting of the City’s Craigdarroch Castle Committee where new lease terms were to be determined, City Councillor Kelly Armstrong suggested to Society President David Hambleton and Executive Director Bruce Davies, “We should just sell the Castle to the Society for a dollar”. David Hambleton replied, “Sold!” He then produced a dollar coin and put it on the table. Councillor Armstrong then said, “Oh no, we don’t want a Loonie. It has to be a real paper dollar."
The City’s Solicitor prepared the required paperwork some weeks later and sent the papers to the Society’s Executive Director together with the dollar bill that the Society was to pay the City with. The City had one important condition to the sale – the Society was required to complete life-safety upgrading of the Castle. This involved installation of a fire sprinkler system and emergency lighting. There was also a right of reversion clause in the Purchase Agreement that specified that the Castle would revert back to the City if the Society ceased to operate the Castle as a public museum.
The life-safety upgrade was completed, and the Castle was transferred to the Society. His Worship Bob Cross, Mayor of Victoria, attended The Castle Society’s Annual General meeting on June 25, 1994. Society President David Hambleton presented the Mayor with this framed dollar bill and photograph of the Castle. After the meeting adjourned, Bruce Davies asked Mayor Cross to donate the framed Presentation to The Castle Society, which he then did.
This object was collected to aid in the presentation of the story of the Society for the Preservation and Maintenance of Craigdarroch Castle, later renamed the Craigdarroch Castle Historical Museum Society, also known simply as The Castle Society.
