Apr
28
Exotic Diversions
Apr 2011
By Doreen Marion Gee
Researching articles for the Beacon is like digging for clams and finding gold nuggets by surprise. Every stone that I overturn on this mysterious voyage reveals fascinating and bizarre connections to very significant events. All these diversions from my topic create a colourful web of history, linking people and circumstances across time and space. The history of James Bay is replete with these degrees of separation, turning an ordinary article into a journey of discovery. A case in point is two relics from long ago: the Gatsby Mansion and the Judge's House on Belleville Street, across from the Inner Harbour. If those walls could talk, they would tell a tale of glamorous people and places that span a hundred years. And they would whisper about unusual links between famous people and a prime minister, a world-class hotel, a popular soap and paint, a famous novelist, and a favourite breakfast cereal.
William Joseph Pendray was born in Cornwall, England, on August 15, 1846. In the 1860's he emigrated to California, and after striking it rich in the Cariboo Gold Rush, then losing it all, he finally did well enough in Nevada to bring his riches to Victoria in 1875. In 1879, Pendray invested in a soap factory on land which now houses the Empress Hotel. Their main brand of soap was called White Swan Soap, a well known brand. Being a multi-tasker, Pendray also bought a paint company in 1899 and called it the British American Paint Company, later known as BAPCO. In 1913, Pendray's soapworks was sold to the Vancouver division of Lever Brothers, which morphed into an international soap company famous for products like Sunlight, Lifebuoy and Lux. BAPCO paint was a huge brand name up until the 1970's. Pendray's million dollar a year paint business eventually became the biggest paint enterprise in the west. These links to familiar and world-renowned products make our past sizzle like fireworks.
Gatsby Mansion is an architectural treasure from the 1890s with a Queen Anne octagonal tower and frescoes painted by German artisans. The Italian stained glass was shipped from Europe in barrels of molasses. This was Pendray's dream home for his new family and boasted the first private residential telephone in Victoria. The house has changed hands many times over the years and is presently known as the Gatsby Mansion, after F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby.
Alexander Blair Gray bought the land under the present Judge's House, and in 1877, his splendid Italianate-style home was built. Bankrupted by the Depression, Gray and his family had to leave their prized home in 1893. Until 1898, the owners were Robina and George Robert Jackson. Jackson was a colourful and fascinating character. After 13 years in the tailoring business, he went to Philadelphia to study medicine. But at age 50, his own health was so bad that he was told that he only had four months to live. He immersed himself in the study of the Roman legions, where soldiers were fed diets of wheat and rye to keep them in optimal health. Jackson created a breakfast cereal made of whole grain wheat, rye, bran and flaxseed called Dr. Jackson's Roman Health Meal or "Roman Meal." How many people remember that very popular cereal? It made him a millionaire and he was last seen in Victoria in 1936, a very healthy man in his '70s. Gordon Hunter bought the house in 1899. In 1902, he was appointed Chief Justice for the B.C. Supreme Court. During his 25 years in this post, Hunter wined and dined many dignitaries, including Prime Minister Mackenzie King.
With this exotic web of interesting connections that traverse time and geography, James Bay has earned its own rightful place on the global map.