929 Island Road is a one and one-half storey Victorian farmhouse with crawlspace, clad in drop siding with shingled gables. It has a side gabled roof with a front verandah and turned posts and pierced brackets on the south elevation. The house and its adjacent ‘sister’ to the south at 915 Island Road are both situated in mature, verdant landscapes.
Heritage Value
This site is significant because of its rarity as one of the few remaining farmhouses in the municipality and as such is indicative of agricultural origins of this area. The house, along with its adjacent ‘sister’ at 915 Island Road, contribute a rural character to the area, which has a number of other heritage homes given that Island Road was one of the first streets developed in south Oak Bay.
This house is of value because it represents a typical farmhouse of the era, with some decorative exterior details but for the most part constructed to be modest and functional, as reflected by the interior. The house is largely intact and the two ‘sister’ houses should be preserved as a pair – rare examples of early Oak Bay farmhouses that pre-date the incorporation of the municipality. The original chicken coop, in the back garden, us a valued component of this site, it is the only one known to survive from the agricultural past of Oak Bay.
Character Defining Elements
- location adjacent to 915 Island Road on one of a series of regular sized lots amongst other heritage single family residences;
- form, scale and massing;
- steeply pitched side gable roof with cedar shakes and roof ridge;
- wood frame construction and drop siding with corner boards;
- style details such as gingerbread porch brackets; open front wrap around verandah with turned posts and pierced brackets; small front gable filled with shingles over a pair of small multi-paned windows;
- exterior architectural elements: two brick corbelled chimneys (internal), tongue and groove porch roof soffit, barge boards, side gables filled with shingles, paneled front door with original hardware;
- regular fenestration: casement windows, multiple pane, triple assembly on one side, double on the other, stained glass;
- interior features: paneled wood doors and hardware, wide floor boards, brick fireplace with arched opening adjacent to the front door, wood banister and staircase, original wash basin and bath tub;
- landscape features: mature deciduous and coniferous trees and shrubs, remnant orchard, picket fence, chicken coop located adjacent to the kitchen