Description of Historic Place

Located within Fort Rodd Hill and overlooking the Juan de Fuca Strait, the Casemate Barracks (6 Buildings) at Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site, Lower Battery sits on a gentle slope within the defensible walls of the Lower Battery. The Barracks (6 Buildings) at Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site, Lower Battery consists of six flat-roofed, one-storey structures with a low rectangular massing. Five of these are constructed of concrete and one of brick. The focal point of the grouping, the detached L-shaped Barracks Building, with its sloped porch roof and colonnade, forms two sides of the walled barrack parade ground. The Coal Store, Provisional Store, General Store, and Latrine structures are adjacent structures that are partially integrated with the defensible perimeter wall of the lower Battery fortifications. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Casemate Barracks (6 Buildings) at Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site, Lower Battery is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical Value:
The Casemate Barracks (6 Buildings) at the Lower Battery is closely associated with the original planning and construction of Fort Rodd Hill. They are also associated with the theme of coastal defence through being directly related to the active operation of the Lower Battery guns. Within the Casemate Barracks (6 Buildings) at Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site, Lower Battery there is a hierarchy of associative relationships to the theme of coastal defence, with the Barracks Building being the most important building, followed by the stores buildings.

Architectural Value:
The Casemate Barracks (6 Buildings) at Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site, Lower Battery is a good example of a functional late 19thcentury / early 20th century military structure. Designed to support services for artillerymen, they are of simple design. The plastered concrete and brick structures exhibit good craftsmanship and are characteristic of structures on this site. Distinctive paint patterns around the windows and doors add to its aesthetic appeal.

Environmental Value:
Situated on a gentle slope, the Casemate Barracks (6 Buildings) at Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site, Lower Battery is unchanged with the structures defining both the south and west of the parade ground. It reinforces the functional appearance of the Lower Battery’s military character.

Sources:
Joan Mattie, Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgarde Light station, 603, Fort Rodd Hill Road, Colwood, B.C. Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office Report 96-096; Lower Battery – Casemate Barracks (six buildings), 603 Fort Rodd Hill Road, Colwood, British Columbia. Heritage Character Statement 96-096.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Casemate Barracks (6 Buildings) at Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site, Lower Battery should be respected.

Its functional design and good quality materials and craftsmanship, for example:
-the simple, single-storey, flat-roofed, rectangular massing of the plastered concrete and brick structures with chimneys;
-the sloped porch, with its exposed rafters, roof sheathing, and wood posts with chamfered edges;
-the wooden six-over-six sash windows;
-the original three room layout, the wood casings, trims, heavy wooden doors of the bedroom loopholes, and the painted plaster walls and wood flooring;
-the distinctive painting pattern around windows and doors, the wooden four-over- four doors of the coal store and the heavy, vertical, boarded doors of the other structures.

The manner in which the Casemate Barracks (6 Buildings) at Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site, Lower Battery reinforces the present character of the Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site as evidenced by:
-the site of the Casemate Barracks on a gentle slope, with the structure defining both the south and west of the parade ground, and the other adjacent structures that are partially integrated with the defensible perimeter wall of the lower Battery fortifications;
-the setting of the walled enclosure containing the crushed stone ground plane of the parade square belonging to the Casemate Barracks, which reinforces the functional appearance of the Lower Battery’s military character.