Samuel Maclure

Architect & Artist

Mansion makeover

A tired, 100-year-old Arts and Crafts house designed by one of Victoria's most noted architects, Samuel Maclure, regains its grandeur and beauty thanks to the painstaking work of a Victoria couple.

Joanne Hatherly

Times Colonist
Saturday, March 03, 2007

The Illahie was nearly a century old when Paul and Tracey Thomas first viewed it in 2005. Its rugs threadbare, its wood paneling dulled and its once manicured gardens drowning beneath a sea of thistles, the property needed much work indoors and out.

"It was tired," says Paul of the mansion designed by noted Victoria architect Samuel Maclure. "It had been used heavily."

But the Thomases were not put off by the wrinkles of time. They bought the house, which had been carved into nine suites.

"We really didn't know that there wasn't one toilet that worked properly; there wasn't one sink that wasn't cracked; there wasn't one stove that didn't leak gas," says Paul. "We had no idea about that stuff."

Those unpleasant surprises were offset by happier discoveries, such as a hidden pocket door with stained glass that was uncovered when a carpenter removed a strip of wood from a door frame.

Along with the extensive beneath-the-skin electrical and plumbing upgrade, the couple decided to install state-of-the-art Internet and satellite connections. It's a tricky business, dealing with walls of plaster and old woods, but the tradespeople worked around that challenge by laying new pipes over the walls and boxing them in plaster and mouldings that blend seamlessly with the existing structure.

Fortunately, no one had concealed the house's rich woods with paint, but the plaster walls were as exciting as a snow drift.

"Someone had been let loose with a spray gun," says Paul, who owns a painting business, "and the walls were all painted in a mushroomy white." Tracey created a colour theme for each suite, inspired by the ceramic tiles on the house's eight fireplaces.

While certain rooms are designated heritage, others are not, freeing the couple to modernize the kitchens and bathrooms, install soaker tubs, shaker-style white cabinetry and earth-toned counters.

The Illahie's signature feature is the grand entrance hall, panelled in African gumwood and lit by a large stained glass window. The grand hall is "one of the best in Rockland," says Steve Barber, senior heritage planner for the City of Victoria.

Coffered ceilings, padouk wood floors and abalone inlay in the African gumwood underscore the room's massive dimensions and luxury.

The large stained glass window was designed by Canada's oldest maker of stained glass windows, McCausland & Company of Toronto. In vibrant green, rose and cerulean hues, the piece depicts a woman breathing in a rose's fragrance.

A French art nouveau female statuette inscribed "Fee aux fleurs" (fairy of the flowers) stands atop a second-storey staircase post. Crafted circa 1900 by A. de Raniere, she is entwined in vine and holds a light in her palms. Similar statuettes are featured in other Victoria mansions of the period, says Jennifer Barr, executive director at the Victoria Heritage Foundation.

Originally built for industrialist Charles Fox Todd and his wife Louisa, the house is connected to another of Victoria's notable families, the Butcharts. Mary Butchart wed William Todd, one of Charles Todd's two sons, in Illahie's gardens, and the young couple made their home down the street.

Derek Todd, 85, son of Mary and William, remembers strolling down St. Charles Street on Saturday mornings to enjoy breakfast with his grandparents.

"They had this fantastic large attic where they had all these toys, wagons, roller skates and everything," he says.

Fiona Hyslop, 75, remembers the attic as well. She shares great-grandfather Jacob Hunter Todd with Derek, and lived in the house after fleeing Hong Kong with her mother, aunt and sister in 1942.

"We rollerskated up and down the attic. It was wonderful, but it made the most terrible noise," says Hyslop.

Her mother and aunt lived in terror that she and her sister might send a ball through the grand hall's stained glass window, "but we never did," she says.

Derek Todd says the Thomases have restored the garden to its original beauty.

"There was a tremendous garden around it, of dahlias and two or three cypress trees," he says.

Today, the garden holds more than 300 rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias.

While the Todds no longer live there, they still feel the pull of the home.

"There are always some Todds dropping in for tea and a visit," says Paul. Derek Todd dropped in during the summer of 2006. "We were just cheeky and blew in. He (Paul) welcomed us right in."

Illahie continues to be a centre for gathering and entertaining. The Thomases host dinners for the tenants in the grand hall, and all join together in holding progressive suppers.

"It's like we're all family here," says Tracey.

MUSIC-BY-THE-SEA FUNDRAISER

Paul and Tracey Thomas are celebrating the Illahie's 100th birthday with a fundraiser for Music-by-the-Sea International Music School at Bamfield, which is scheduled to open this summer.

The gala soiree will feature opera in the main hall, supper by chef Steve Walker-Duncan and string, jazz and saxophone performances in the garden and house.

What: Gala fundraiser, music-garden supper and soiree

When: Saturday, May 5, 2007 from 3 to 8 p.m.

Where: 1041 St. Charles St.

Price: $250 per person

Information: 888-7772.

Website: www.music-by-the-sea.com