Description of Historic Place

The Bishop Residence, located on the southern outskirts of Ladner village, is a one and one-half storey wood-frame Craftsman style residence, set on a raised basement. It stands on a corner lot on Arthur Drive at the intersection of 44th Avenue, and the property includes mature trees, an early wood-frame garage at the front and a steep bank down to Chilukthan Slough at the rear.

Heritage Value

The Bishop Residence is of historical significance for its association with the development of Delta and with its builder, Henry Bishop, a local contractor. The house illustrates social and economic confidence and the return of prosperity after the end of the First World War. It was the first of six homes built by Bishop on this strip of land on the east side of Slough Road (now Arthur Drive) that he purchased in 1920. Bishop retained this house, the largest, for himself and his family.

Additionally, the Bishop Residence is of heritage value for its Craftsman style architecture. Built in 1922, it is a handsome and restrained example of this architectural style, which was the most popular housing style during the early twentieth century. The Craftsman style was typified by rational space planning, the use of natural materials and a mix of traditional design elements inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement. Larger than its immediate neighbours on the east side of Arthur Drive, the Bishop Residence is prominent along the early and well-established residential corridor of Arthur Drive.

Source: Delta Heritage Planning Files

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of Bishop Residence include its:
- corner location on Arthur Drive facing west; situated on the steep west bank of Chilukthan Slough
- residential form, scale and massing as expressed by its one and one-half storey plus raised basement height and regular, rectangular plan
- front-gabled roof with saddlebag wall dormers, clad with cedar shingles
- concrete foundation
- wood-frame construction as expressed by: slightly bellcast lapped siding with cornerboards on the first storey; shingle cladding at the foundation level; twin-coursed shingle siding in upper storey; beltcourse mouldings; and wooden window and door surrounds with sills and cornices
- Craftsman style details such as: projecting eaves; triangular eave brackets; and exposed rafter tails
- exterior elements such as: the open front entrance porch with square columns, gabled roof and closed, shingle clad balustrades; shed roof visor over front first storey window; original 8-paned glazed front door, and internal brick chimney
- irregular and asymmetrical fenestration including: single-light, triple-assembly casement windows with leaded amber-coloured transom above on the first storey at front; single and double-assembly double-hung 1-over-1 wooden-sash windows; and two fixed small square windows in front gable flanking centre gable double-assembly windows
- mature landscape setting with trees