Welcome to the Website for Point Ellice House and Gardens in Victoria, British Columbia. Point Ellice was the 19th century home of Peter and Caroline O'Reilly and their children, Frank, Kathleen, Mary Augusta and Jack. The house remained in the O'Reilly family for three generations, becoming a provincial historic site in 1974. Point Ellice is also nationally designated and is considered Western Canada's finest collection of Victoriana in its original setting.

To have a look at "the finest collection of Victoriana", you can search our Collections database where there is information on nearly 5000 Point Ellice Artifacts with pictures of about 20% of the collection. We will be adding more pictures as time permits. If you don't know what you want to look at but would like to see a sampling of the Point Ellice Artifacts, visit each room of the House Tour and click on Artifacts at the bottom of the page. You will see a 'contact sheet' of objects in that room.

A photograph exhibition shows how this Colonial family used photography to capture images of their most valuable possessions and beloved family members.

While visiting this Website, take a virtual House Tour with the Chinese Houseboy. This will give you a chance to see the collection in its original setting and to see how British Colonial elite lived in the Victorian age.

Read about gossip between the Chinese Houseboy and the English maid, especially about Kathleen O'Reilly's romances with Captain Stanhope and Captain Robert Scott! Check out the Gossip section for more family's histories and lots of beautiful, archival photographs of family activities and changes to the house over the years.

No visit to Point Ellice is complete without a good look at the Point Ellice Garden. This is a beautiful, restored garden and we have included lots of information on our research resources - archival photographs, 19th century seed catalogues, Victorian gardening tools, heirloom roses and some amazing discoveries during garden restoration. Of particular note are the heritage Roses - many can be dated to a garden plan written by Peter O'Reilly in 1889!

Teachers will be particularly interested in the Teachers' Corner, including lesson plans for Primary, Intermediate and Secondary students. Kids can follow up on the lesson plans by reading a fantastic story of the O'Reilly family from what might have been Kathleen's perspective growing up in the House. Check out the story in the Kids' Corner.

There are several areas to explore on the Point Ellice House Website, so take advantage of the Site map. Finally, have a look at the Team/Sponsors section - the people who created this site and the people who funded the project.

E-Mail your comments, questions and research discoveries to the Curator of Point Ellice House at jennifer.iredale@gems4.gov.bc.ca