Musical Memory Lane

Musical Memory Lane

Creating and sharing music as a species, especially in a group, goes back to the days of early humans. As a means of expression, social and community building and communication, music has been an integral and important part of the development of humankind. On a smaller scale, music is an important part of any community’s heritage, and musical learning and participation is, arguably, a crucial part of any child’s education that has lasting positive effects all the way through adulthood. Read on to see some vintage photographs of musical groups on the North Shore and learn about some of the different ways in which music is so important to the human experience from birth to old age.

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Striking It Lucky

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And now for something completely different... read on for a whimsical, timely story by our resident published author, Paul Haston, that involves a tram ride and a packet of matches!

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Taylor Made

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Lions Gate Bridge, once described as a bridge to nowhere, is one of three vital links across Burrard Inlet connecting the North Shore and Vancouver. It was built to provide a link to the British Properties, a large and ambitious real estate development in West Vancouver. Both the bridge and the development were the enterprising vision of Alfred James Towle Taylor aka Fred Taylor, who is the Taylor of Taylor Way, which is the portal road to his planned upmarket residences. It was a vision that eventually became a reality. His bridge became a bridge to somewhere – the British Properties and the North Shore.

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North Shore Tent Homes

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While researching for another blog many months ago, I was perusing the 1913 North Vancouver City Directory. I noticed that, for many individuals, their home was listed as “tent”. It surprised me that a tent was permanent enough to be listed as a person’s home. I was curious to know more about the appearance of these tents, so I visited the websites of the North Vancouver and West Vancouver Archives and entered the search word “tent”. And this is when I went down the proverbial rabbit hole into the warren of tent homes and some of the fascinating families who occupied them. As I read about the families, what struck me was that they were mostly Western European immigrants, who left a civilized life behind to come to the new world to live … in a tent! Clearly, they all came with a sense of adventure but in the end, their best attribute would be perseverance! Life in the new world was definitely not easy.

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The Kilbys of Caulfeild

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The Kilbys of Caulfeild

Our guest blogger, Paul Hundal, recently had the pleasure of attending the Centenary Tour of one of the Kilby Houses of Caulfield built 100 years ago in 1924. This event was made possible by the West Vancouver Foundation which supports community-building activities. The house and property have been beautifully maintained in the old English cottage garden style that would have made Francis Caulfeild, the original designer of Caulfeild Cove, proud. The Kilbys themselves are inextricably woven into the social fabric of Olde Caulfeild as one of the original purchasers in 1909 when they built their first cottage as a summer residence.

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A Froth of Flowers

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Looking for blog inspiration as we hit the official start of summer, I used “summer” as a keyword while searching through archival photos from the District of West Vancouver Archives online collection, and came across a couple of gorgeous photos from a Caulfeild home which still stands today: 4765 Pilot House Road. This home had an exuberant flower garden in the 1930s that immediately brought a smile to my face. The photos really captured my imagination and I wanted to share them with NSH readers.

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The Art & Archaeology of a Buried Skatepark

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North Shore Heritage is excited to publish an article by our guest writer, Bruce Emmett, who is an artist, educator, & skateboarder who has an important connection to a fascinating piece of cultural heritage on the North Shore, namely the Inglewood Skatepark. Here is his story!

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Rudyard Kipling’s Speculative Investments

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If you’ve ever thought of making a speculative land investment on the Burrard Inlet’s north shore you might want to heed the experience of the English novelist, short story writer and poet, Rudyard Kipling. Famous as the creator of Mowgli, the ‘man-cub’ raised by wolves in the children’s classic, The Jungle Book, Kipling was a visitor to our shores in his early 20’s, firstly in 1889, and then later in 1892, whilst on honeymoon with his newly wed, Carrie Balestier. On both occasions he made an investment in real estate and lived to rue the day.

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Sidetracked on a Side Street

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The Pacific Great Eastern Railway, despite its name, was a Western company. Incorporated in Vancouver in 1912, it was founded to create a railroad between Prince George and the docks of North Vancouver via Squamish and the Howe Sound. Decades passed before this goal was fully achieved due to a section of challenging, mountainous terrain and ongoing financial challenges. It became known as the Province’s Great Expense to Prince George Eventually. However, the story of the PGE Railway is one of ambition and perseverance that created an important, historic route along the waters of the Burrard Inlet and Howe Sound, remnants of which still exist today.

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Hendry Hall – Community Builder Extraordinaire

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Originally built as an Air Raid Precautionary Post, Hendry Hall has been at the centre of the Lynnmour community in one way or another for 82 years! Currently the home of the talented North Vancouver Community Players, it also served as the Hendry Community Hall for over three decades. Imagine the stories that would be told, if the walls of this tiny but mighty building could talk! But since they cannot, I’m going to tell you what I’ve learned in my research and take you on a virtual tour of this amazing building and its people through the decades!

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Beautiful Blackadder Buildings

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Beautiful Blackadder Buildings

Take an armchair tour with North Shore Heritage as we look at some of the beautiful buildings in North Vancouver designed by early 20th century architect, Henry Blackadder, as well as his architectural firm with Alexander MacKay, “Blackadder and Mackay”. We’ll look at photos of homes, both large and small and also institutions such as schools and a drill hall, and learn some key points about who lived and worked there as well as design features that make the buildings classic “Blackadder” and “Blackadder and Mackay” designs.

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Blackadder Goes Forth. Not ‘Edmund’, but Henry!

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Mention the name ‘Blackadder’ and people think of Rowan Atkinson’s character in the BBC comedy series. The final episode of the last series, Blackadder Goes Forth, is known for its final scene, called “Goodbyeee,” which sees ‘Captain Blackadder’ and his side-kick, ‘Baldrick’ going “over the top” into the smoke filled no man’s land of the First World War trenches, presumably to their deaths. Crazy as that sounds, there was a real Captain Blackadder from Dundee, Scotland, who was awarded the Military Cross and whose older brother Henry had a very special connection to North Vancouver.

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Breeze Block Bandwagon

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Breeze Blocks. Screen Blocks. Ornamental Wall Blocks. Call them what you will but these simply designed concrete blocks, when stacked together, create some of most visually impactful patterns which became a signature feature of Mid-Century Modern architecture. Geometric Genius! Luckily, there are still some amazing examples of Screen Block walls today on the North Shore! So, jump on the Breeze Block Bandwagon as we explore its origins, learn about the North American design craze and take an armchair tour of Mid-Century Modern apartment towers in West Vancouver.

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Hiding in Plain Sight: North Van's Recycled Churches

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Hiding in Plain Sight: North Van's Recycled Churches

Did you know that three North Vancouver buildings that are now a recital hall, garden centre and dance school, all started out as some of the earliest churches in their areas? These buildings didn’t have long lives under their built purpose, as their congregations quickly outgrew them, but they have been around for over a century by being either re-purposed or recycled and given new life. One survived as the top of a church, one as the bottom, and one was saved in one piece but moved. Learn the fascinating stories of these three former churches by reading on - you may be surprised to learn where a couple of them have been hiding! I know I was.

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Old-Fashioned Christmas

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The commercialism of Christmas overwhelms me! We’re bombarded with flyers, Christmas music 24/7, mall traffic and shelves lined with environmentally-unfriendly toys and decorations, sometimes as early as the day after Hallowe’en! How I long for simpler times, without all the hustle and bustle and stress! Join me as we time travel to years gone by to celebrate an old-fashioned Christmas in the homes, schools and businesses of former North Shore residents!

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Bridge over Burrard's Water

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The Lower Mainland is awash with bridges, three of which cross the Burrard Inlet. In the shadow of the Iron Workers’ Memorial Bridge sits the historic Second Narrows Rail Bridge, a critical link in the supply chain that transports Canadian commodities from the North Shore to world markets. While it earns little attention from most of us, it is a significant factor in the prosperity of the North Shore.

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Wings to Your Heels

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Arthur and George Coles were flying Spitfires and Lancaster bombers for the Allied war effort when tragedy struck for the North Vancouver based brothers. Reported as missing in action in the latter part of 1943, one brother returned home after the war whilst the other, sadly, did not. Eighty years on, our Remembrance Day tribute offers thanks for their service.

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The Mystery of the Marble Lady

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The Mystery of the Marble Lady

If you’ve ever parked at the West Vancouver Municipal Hall in the parking lot by 16th St. and Fulton Ave or driven by on Fulton and missed the beautiful marble statue carved in a Classical Greek style, you’re not alone. The landscaping on the corner of the parking lot has grown over and around the statue and this ‘Marble Lady’ seems to have been forgotten to the mists of time. Where did she come from and why does it appear she’s been forgotten? Read on to find out the fascinating history behind this marble sculpture.

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The Legacy of the 2nd WV Boy Scouts

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Have you ever wandered up 17th Street in West Vancouver and enjoyed the shade of the green canopy of trees that create an arbour from Marine Drive up to Inglewood? In addition to being a welcome respite from the ravages of climate change, these “heritage” trees, and others on 13th and 14th, have a story to tell!

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John Linn and his Promised Land!

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Lynn Valley. From Lynn Peak to Lynn Creek, it’s made up of Lynns. There is Lynn Valley Road, Lynn Valley Centre, Lynn Valley Library, Lynn Canyon Park, Lynn Valley Suspension Bridge, Lynn Valley Ecology Centre, Lynn Headwaters, Lynnmouth, Lynmour, Lynn Avenue. And there is Lynn Creek where it all started with John Linn and his promised land.

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