Craigdarroch Castle

Completed in 1890, for Robert Dunsmuir (1825-1889) and his wife, Joan Olive White (1827-1908). The 39-room castle cost $500,000 to build and covers 25,000 square feet. Robert Dunsmuir had always promised his wife that he would build her a castle on the Pacific coast. Having become the "Coal King" of British Columbia he made a fortune of $15 million, but died before seeing the castle completed. It was named for the place of his birth in Scotland. Mrs Dunsmuir died here in 1908 and it was afterwards briefly occupied by Thomas A. Cameron (d.1917) who also died here. From then, it served invariably as a Military Hospital, a School and then a Conservatory of Music before being opened as a house museum in 1979, as it remains today. It is one of Victoria's most popular tourist attractions and attracts 150,000 visitors a year. The Dunsmuir's son, James, built nearby Hatley Castle which is also open to the public.