Description of Historic Place

The Cow Barn and Dairy is a T-shaped, stucco-clad building whose design is based on a traditional farm vernacular, and consists of two component parts placed perpendicular to each other. The Cow Barn is a two-storey, gambrel-roofed building accented with ventilation cupolas, external chimneys and shed dormer windows. To the rear of the Cow Barn, an enclosed arcade links it to the dairy, which is a two-storey, hipped roof building with a monitor straddling the main ridge. The Cow Barn and Dairy has been converted to serve as classrooms, and is located on College Road, south of Hatley Castle, within the agricultural zone of the Royal Roads University. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Cow Barn and Dairy is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical value:
The Cow Barn and Dairy are associated with the manifestation of great wealth and lavish estates created by leading Canadian industrialists at the beginning of the 20th century. Constructed during the first phase of the site's development between 1908-1937, the building was one of the agricultural buildings that made up the model farm, an essential component of J. Dunsmuir's self-sufficient Edwardian estate which also included a piggery, greenhouse, vegetable gardens and stable. The building is also associated with the expansion of the Canadian Armed Forces and the development of its professional training programs during and after World War II. During this second phase of the site's development, Department of National Defence purchased the estate to establish the Royal Roads University, at which time the Cow Barn and Dairy was converted into classrooms and an engineering workshop.

Architectural value:
The Cow Barn and Dairy is a very good example of traditional vernacular farm architecture combined with Tudor Revival details, and its picturesque exterior and materials speak to the site's original function as a component of the model farm. Constructed of good, sturdy, quality materials and craftsmanship, the Cow Barn and Dairy features brick walls and chimneys clad with stucco.

Environmental value:
Built into the sloping terrain, the Cow Barn and Dairy is an important component of the former model farm, speaks to the James Dunsmuir Edwardian estate period, and reinforces the pastoral character of Royal Roads. The Cow Barn and Dairy is located on College Road, south of Hatley Castle in an area that is surrounded by regenerated forest and is within the agricultural zone of the property. The Cow Barn and Dairy is a visually prominent building owing to its scale and location.

Sources:
Andrew Waldron, Cow Barn and Dairy (RR6), Royal Roads University, Colwood, British Columbia. Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office Building Report 99-137.

Cow Barn and Dairy (RR6), Royal Roads University, Colwood, British Columbia. Heritage Character Statement 99-137.

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements of the Cow Barn and Dairy Building should be respected, for example:

Its traditional vernacular farm architecture, and good quality materials and craftsmanship as manifested in:

-the silhouette of its characteristic barn roofs with their wide eaves, exposed rafters, ventilation cupolas, external chimneys, shed dormer windows and the monitor straddling the main roof ridge; and,
-the solidly constructed brick walls and chimneys with their stucco-clad finish.

The manner in which the building reinforces the former Edwardian setting of the university campus, as evidenced in:

-its location and compatibility with the other agricultural buildings on the former model farm complex.