Canadian Railroads > Victoria CP steamship terminal

CP once had a subsidiary called BCCS, British Columbia Coastal Steamships which operated Scottish built coastal steamships between Victoria, Vancouver, Seattle and north to Alaska.

This building on the shore of Victoria's Inner Harbour was designed by Rattenbury, the same architect who designed the BC Legislative Building
and CP's Empress Hotel.

The upper floor housed BCCS's head office and downstairs was an impressive ticket office and waiting hall.

By 1960, travel patterns had changed so that most of the passengers came with their cars, and CP leased the downstairs to the Royal London Wax Museum. The museum was one of Victoria's most popular tourist attractions until closure in 2010. The building required seismic upgrades while were beyond the financial resources of the business.

Eventually, the BC Government acquired the building and carried out the necessary upgrades. Today, it houses an art gallery dedicated to Canadian artist Robert Bateman, a pub and restaurant, and a Starbucks.

A few years ago I visited the Bateman gallery. Near the entrance was an interesting display area with many photos of the steamship terminal and some of the Empress liners that called there.