Description of Historic Place

Mound Farm is set on and around a prominent hill that is extensively covered with mature trees. There are two wood-frame houses on the site: Snow House is designed in the Colonial Revival style and the Smith House is a vernacular Craftsman-influenced dwelling.

Heritage Value

Mound Farm stands as a landmark in the surrounding flat land. Few trees have been logged from the drumlin and it retains exceptional stands of deciduous and coniferous trees, such as Douglas and Grand fir, hemlock, cedar, spruce, and vine and big-leaf maples. Mound Farm also provides a unique habitat for birds of prey. Mound Farm is owned and maintained by the City of Surrey, representing a commitment to the preservation of natural and heritage resources.

The site is important for its association with early pioneer farming families of Surrey. William and Anne Smith settled on a large farm known as 'The Mound' in 1884. Their son, Bion B. Smith, became City Clerk, was elected to municipal council and was a charter member of the Odd Fellows Lodge. A later owner of the property, James Loney was involved in local politics and was a member of the School Board. Another valuable association was with the tenure of the Friends of the Homeless Society, which offered homes and support to young men with mental disabilities.

The two houses on this site provide information about the evolution of the property; the Bion Smith House, built c. 1928, is a small utilitarian building with Craftsman style influences that originally occupied the highest point on Mound Farm. After the land was sold to George H. Snow, this small house was moved to its current site and in 1936, Snow erected a fine Colonial Revival mansion. The Snows operated this property as a hobby farm.

The Colonial Revival mansion of George H. Snow is of architectural significance both for the use of the style, which is less frequently found in Canada than in the United States, and for its idiosyncratic detailing of stylistic features. Although the Snow House exhibits the form and massing of the Colonial Revival style, its asymmetrical façade is a demonstration of the popular recreation of vernacular Period Revival styles between the two World Wars, a time of entrenched traditionalism.

Source: Heritage Planning Files, City of Surrey

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Mound Farm site include its:
- location in an agricultural area;
- visual prominence as a landmark in the area;
- height and shape of the drumlin on which the houses are situated;
- location of the two houses on high land above the floodplain and their relationship to each other;
- stands of mature and old growth trees;
- exterior features of the Bion Smith House, including:
- form scale and massing;
- low-pitched gable roof with open eaves and decorative knee brackets;
- original wooden siding; and
- exterior features of the George H. Snow House, including:
- its location on the high point of the mound;
- form, scale and massing;
- fenestration, such as a ribbon of five double-hung 6 over-1 wood-sash windows on the left of the main entrance and three on the right-hand side, and symmetrical arrangement of upper-storey windows with external shutters;
- main entrance with open pedimented porch supported by Doric columns;
- deep eaves with exposed rafter tails;
- wide lapped wooden siding;
- cedar shingle roof cladding;
- garage set into the basement level.