HISTORY
Wentworth Villa is one of the oldest homes in Victoria. Built in 1863 for the Ella family it was at that time the largest residence in the city. The Villa is constructed almost entirely of California redwood which was milled in San Francisco and shipped to Victoria. It is a designated City of Victoria heritage building and is listed in the register of Canadian Historic Places.
The story of the Ellas, the original inhabitants of Wentworth Villa, is closely interwoven with the history of early Victoria. Our exhibits about the social and material histories of the Ellas provide a close look at their backgrounds, how they came to Victoria, and details of everyday life at the Villa. Displays of historic artifacts from the period also give a sense of the material culture of a prosperous middle class Victorian family.
The Ellas
Henry Bailey Ella was born in England and joined the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1846 at age 20. The following year he sailed for Vancouver Island as second mate on the ship Mary Dare. From this point onward Victoria was home port for his life-long work as a sea captain. His career took him to all of the HBC forts in the Pacific Northwest, as well as to Hawaii and many times back to England.
Martha Beeton Cheney was also English and came to Victoria in 1851 on the ship Tory. She was accompanying her aunt and uncle, Thomas and Ann Blinkhorn, who came to the colony of Vancouver Island to manage Bilston Creek farm in Metchosin. Victoria was still a very small settlement in these pre-goldrush years and Henry and Martha met through the limited social circles of the day. They were married in 1855 and eventually had seven children.
Victorian Life
When the Ellas built their fine new home on Fort Street there were very few such spacious buildings in the colony and it soon became a centre of Victoria’s social life. Family documents reproduced in this exhibit give insight into this aspect of the history.
A glimpse into the material history of Victorian life at Wentworth Villa is also provided through displays of artifacts that were recovered from a long disused backyard rubbish pit unearthed during recent renovations. It is complemented by displays of lovingly maintained heirlooms handed down to modern day descendants of the Ellas. Together they give a colorful and tangible connection between the Victorian era and our own.
After the Ellas
After the accidental death of Captain Ella in 1873, the family fell on hard times which continued to deepen until the city took over the Villa for unpaid taxes. However, the last Ella siblings were allowed to remain in the building temporarily as tenants.
In 1940 a neighbouring antiques dealer named Faith Grant purchased the Villa by paying off 25 years of back taxes. Moving their “Connoisseur’s Shop” into the new premises, the Grants also added an extension in 1956 in which they lived. When the Villa was sold again in 2012, the original structure was thoroughly restored and re-opened to the public as a museum and the 1956 addition was rebuilt as a concert hall.