The brick and frame buildings that house CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum were constructed in the later part of the 19th century, between 1887 and 1892. The hospital complex was built around a grassed area that later became a gravelled parade square and later still, the paved parking lot you will find there today.
This area, known as Museum Square, is part of a network of outstanding historic buildings at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Esquimalt, which is composed of several named sections that are geographically removed from one another.
Though now part of an integrated base, these named segments were originally intended for use by the army or navy of the period in which they were constructed. Both services had differing conceptions of "proper" buildings. This is evident in the design, detailing, and building materials chosen for the various buildings.
On 29 th June, 2006, at Canadian Force Base Esquimalt, a plaque was dedicated in the Museum Square at Naden to recognize the significance of four naval station sites as an historic district of national significance.
The Esquimalt Naval Sites are the naval Dockyard at Esquimalt; the former Royal Navy hospital buildings at Naden which now house CFB Esquimalt Naval & Military Museum; the Veterans Cemetery, also known as God's Acre (formerly the Royal Navy cemetery); and Cole Island (formerly the munitions depot for the Dockyard).
Here is the text from the Esquimalt Naval Sites plaque:"The long naval presence here has produced a unique legacy among defence sites in Canada. From its establishment in 1865 until Britain's Royal Navy withdrew in 1906, Esquimalt served as headquarters of the vast Pacific Station.
In the Dockyard, the Admiralty built wooden storehouses and repair shops for the Pacific fleet. Well-crafted brick buildings, many still in use, replaced the original structures in the 1890s.
A hospital complex was installed at nearby Pilgrim Cove. Sailors who succumbed to disease or to the hazards of life at sea were buried in the Royal Navy Cemetery.
Cole Island, isolated at the northern tip of Esquimalt Harbour, housed gunpowder and high explosives. In 1910, the new Royal Canadian Navy took over the base, eventually expanding the Dockyard and hospital sites to provide training and administrative facilities, and the heavy industrial complexes needed to service the modem Canadian fleet.
These sites embody more than a century's evolution of naval defence by British and Canadian forces. "
Some parts of the base date back to the colonial period, when they were utilized by the Royal Navy, Royal Engineers, Royal Garrison Artillery and other Imperial Forces.
In this feature, we take a closer look at two buildings of significant architectural and historical importance, and some of the personalities behind them.
The Bickford Tower, erected in 1901 as a signalling tower, is the sole example in Canada of a building of its type. It is significant for its structure, and as an outstanding example of maritime architecture and engineering
Building 20 at Naden, (what is now the administrative office of CFB Esquimalt Naval & Military Museum), is part of a complex of buildings originally constructed as a hospital for the Royal Navy's Pacific base in Esquimalt, BC.
The building, which dates from 1891, has links to the career of notable Victoria architect John Teague. In the period from 1923 to 1940, it was home to a variety of senior naval officers and Captains of HMCS Naden, all of them important and influential figures in the history of Canada's navy, including Percy Nelles and Leonard Murray. Building 20 continues to attract admiration and interest for its elegant style and scenic location.
