Craigdarroch Castle is widely known for its haunted reputation.
Now, years of work has finally finished in restoring part of the estate to the way it would have been in its earliest days following construction.
The castle was constructed in 1890 by wealthy coal baron, Robert Dunsmui and is now preserved as a National Historic Site.
Recently the caretakers of Craigdarroch Castle have been working hard to restore the kitchen area to the way it would have been in its original construction.
By 1919, just 29-years after construction concluded on the original build of the castle, the kitchen and pantry were heavily altered because the Dunsmuirs no longer used the castle as their residence.
During this time the estate was converted to be the Craigdarroch Military Hospital.
Walls, windows, moulding and floors were all removed along with several mechanical elements including the laundry chute and annunciator panel for the speaking tube intercom system.
Plans to restore this area have been in the works ever since 2017, when the gift shop which was in the original kitchen space was relocated to the newly constructed Visitor’s Centre.
In 2021, Heritage BC and the province gave the Craigdarroch estate $288,000 for the restoration and preservation project.
“We are excited to share the culmination of years of dedication, meticulous work, and a shared passion for preserving the past,” said Craigdarroch Castle Executive Director John Hughes.
“A kitchen is a place that attracts us all and has a universal language.”
“In our surveys 86% of visitors to Craigdarroch Castle expressed a desire to experience the Kitchen, and to learn more about the servant’s activities and food preparation in the Dunsmuir era,” Hughes continued.
The restoration work to the kitchen saw a replacement of shutters, wainscoting, mouldings repair and painting of plaster surfaces and the installation of flooring — all made to look like it would have between 1890 and 1919.
Along with this restored and reopened area of the Craigdarroch Castle, the estate holds events that align with its well-known haunted reputation.
Leading up to Halloween, the castle will host a one-man performance of Frankenstein with showings between October 19th and 28th.
In early November, an improvised whodunnit titled Murder on Paper Street will have several showings as well beginning on November 10th.
It is the perfect season to be exploring the newly restored Craigdarroch Castle — especially if you believe in ghosts!
