Description of Historic Place

Norfolk Lodge is a large, two storey, Arts and Crafts mansion set on a stone-clad basement in the Rural Saanich area of Saanich.

Heritage Value

Norfolk Lodge is valued for its association with its architect Samuel Maclure and his assistant on the project, Ross Lort. Maclure (1860-1929) was known as one of B.C.'s leading early architects, and had a profound influence on the development of B.C. architecture. He was a leader in establishing a sophisticated local variation of the Arts and Crafts residential design. Ross Lort (1889-1968) worked in Maclure's Victoria office and later was Maclure's partner and took over the practice on Maclure's death in 1929. Lort had an architectural career in B.C. that spanned nearly sixty years.

Norfolk Lodge is valued as an excellent representation of the Arts and Crafts style. The first house on the site, built c.1908, was the subject of substantial renovation in 1911 by Maclure. In 1914, Maclure again modified the building, with the result that the house assumed the more formal robust appearance of the Arts and Crafts style.

Norfolk Lodge is significant for its association with several generations of the Oldfield family. John Henry Oldfield, a wealthy real-estate agent, and his wife Emma Louise Oldfield, purchased the land, 142 hectares overlooking Prospect Lake, for his retirement. After his death, his daughter Emma, son Clarence, and wife Doris, occupied the house for several years. The Oldfield family are honoured in Saanich in the name of Oldfield Road that borders the property, running through the Oldfield Valley.

The house and grounds of Norfolk Lodge are a significant indication of the cultural and aesthetic values of wealthy entrepreneurial retirees and their families who chose to settle in the Saanich peninsula in the early years of the twentieth century. The Oldfield family came originally from Norfolk, England - hence the name of the house - and chose to build lavishly and in a style considered the epitome of good taste at the time - the English Arts and Crafts style, reflected in the architectural detailing and proportions. The style was common at the time and was often used for estate mansions as a symbol of affluence and good, modern taste as well as an affinity for all things British. Quality is displayed throughout in the finishes and materials.

Source: Saanich Municipal Archives, file 5789 Brookhill Road

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements of the heritage character of Norfolk Lodge include its:
- form, scale, and massing
- exterior elements such as granite foundations, rough-cast walls, verandahs and piers
- fenestration, with wooden sash windows with such characteristics as leaded lights
- belvedere
- Arts and Crafts interior with a Tudor panelled, two storey central hall with a massive fireplace, and ribbon windows with leaded lights