Eclectic House Tour
Over a week ago we were apart of a house tour that took place in Victoria called the Eclectic House Tour. The tour was put on by The Victoria Heritage Foundation and The Ross Bay Villa in order to raise money for the continued preservation of the Ross Bay Villa.
The Ross Bay Villa, last summer
When we moved into our house I had heard that The Ross Bay Villa might be doing a house tour to raise funds to continue the preservation of the Villa. It was not known at the time what houses would be included, but I didn't imagine we would be asked. Most people are unaware of Twin Oaks, but Victoria is a small town and word got out about the house and we were honoured when we were asked.
The mirror that used to sit in Twin oaks
Interestingly, Twin Oaks and Ross Bay Villa have a small connection. When Twin Oaks was up for sale in 1999, my husbands family donated the mirror above to the Villa. It had just been sitting on the floor, not used.
It wasn't until last summer that we became aware of this and since then I have felt a certain kinship with Ross Bay Villa. I try to attend as many of their events as I can.
It was wonderful to be apart of something that could help continue the renovations and the preservation of this lovely little home.
Dress form from 1909 that lived in the house.
The day of the tour was a bit of a whirlwind and I didn't take many photos, due to the fact that I spent most of my time speaking with the visitors that came through the house.
We set up displays that included the historical documentation we have, including the receipt for the Heintzmen Piano and the bill for the lumber that was used to build the house.
Flowers from Thorn and Thistle
I purchased flowers from the lovely and talented Thorn and Thistle, that brightened up the house.
The Ross Bay Villa also provided some lovely peonies that I mixed with other flowers I had on hand. I love having fresh flowers in the home, it allows me to use some of my collection of thrifted finds and it fills the home with the smell of spring.
We ended up having 260 visitors through the house. Every visitor was respectful and happy as they toured our house. We even had visitors come from up island to see our house.
It was really amazing to have all these people come through the house and have so many positive and encouraging things to say. It made all the hard work we did worth it.
I would really like to thank Simone and Davyd with Ross Bay Villa for seeing the special part of our home and including it in the tour. I would also like to thank the volunteers that were room stewards and volunteered their time on a Sunday to stand watch over our home.
It was a really great opportunity and experience and I am very happy we did it