Description of Historic Place

1114 Arthur Currie Lane is a one-and-one-half storey wood-frame cottage located on a sloping residential lot in the Victoria West neighbourhood. The property, which overlooks Selkirk Water and the Selkirk Trestle, is north of Victoria's Inner Harbour and northwest of the downtown area of the City of Victoria.

Heritage Value

This building is primarily significant because it was the pre-World War One home, as the street name suggests, of General Sir Arthur William Currie GCMG, KCB, VD. The success of Currie's military career is exemplified by the fact that shortly after joining the militia in 1897, he was given command of the Fifth Regiment in Victoria, and at the start of World War One, he commanded the Infantry Brigade overseas. After many notable battle successes and promotions, Currie became Canada's first full general in 1915, and by 1917 was in charge of the entire Canadian Corps, independent of the British Army. He is largely credited with the success of the Battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917; King George V knighted him that same year. British Prime Minister David Lloyd George stated in August 1918 that if the war lasted into 1919, he would put Currie in command of the British Army.

Currie, who had first trained as a teacher, was also important in the field of Canadian education. From 1920 until his death at 58 in 1933, he served as Principal and Vice Chancellor of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, which under his leadership first attained international renown.

1114 Arthur Currie Lane, built in 1892, is valued as a fine example of a small Queen Anne cottage with Italianate features. Its original fieldstone wall and mature plantings surrounding the house lend to the value. It is a key element in a large heritage cluster, and contiguous to the Catherine Street Heritage Conservation Area. This landmark house is highly visible from below on the pedestrian walkway, and across the Selkirk Water.

Sources: City of Victoria Planning and Development Department; Victoria Heritage Foundation

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of 1114 Arthur Currie Lane include:
- the view of the house from below on the pedestrian walkway and from across the water
- hipped roof with asymmetrically-placed gables over octagonal cutaway bay windows on the north and east sides
- squared bay window on south side, which accommodates a second chimney for a fireplace and inglenook on the inside
- Italianate features including: a bracketed cornice, triangular pediments in gables over bay windows, small bottom panels underneath, and narrow paired windows.
- Queen Anne features, including front porch with turned supports, spindlework frieze, and diamond-pattern shingling on the front gable; single ornate sandwich brackets with cutwork tracery under eaves
- small dormer on front façade
- original fieldstone wall now capped by handsome wrought iron fencing and gate