Description of Historic Place

The Duke Residence is a two-and-one-half storey British Arts and Crafts mansion, with Tudor Revival influences, situated in a spacious garden setting, set back from the street in the Quadra area of Saanich.

Heritage Value

The Duke Residence is valued as an example of the work of noted Victoria architect Harold Joseph Rous Cullin (1875-1935). Built in 1912, the design is a representation of the British Arts and Crafts style, with Tudor Revival influences, popularized by Cullin and other successful contemporary Victoria architects, such as Samuel Maclure and Percy Leonard James. The sophisticated design and sensitive use of detail make this house an excellent example of the style that became typical of house architecture in Victoria in the early twentieth century, a period during which more people were able to afford lavish single family homes surrounded by large garden lots.

The Duke Residence is also valued for its association with original owners Dr. Valentine de Saumarez Duke and his wife, Mary Sarah Duke. Like many other Victoria families, the Dukes were transplanted British subjects, who lived in the Far East for many years before retiring to Victoria. Dr. Duke died in 1925 and by 1928 the property was owned by the Dukes' daughter, Ruby, and her husband, Richard Snape. In 1952, Richard designed an interior refitting of the house for apartments, named by Ruby as the Avoca Apartments.

Source: Heritage Planning Files, District of Saanich

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Duke Residence include its:
- location of the house in a garden-like setting, including an open green space between the house and the street
- form, scale and massing
- Tudor Revival elements, such as the asymmetrical design, stone cladding, decorative half-timbering and stucco, bargeboards, registers of leaded glass windows, and dominant front gables
- interior elements dating to the time of construction, including significant woodwork and craftsmanship