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Location DB >
Canada >
British Columbia >
Victoria >
Cole Island
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Publically Viewable |
This location has been labeled by its creator as Public, and therefore can be viewed by anyone.
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Historic Cole Island is located in Esquimalt Harbour on the west coast of British Columbia. Because of its close proximity to Victoria, BCs capital city, the island is easily accessed by boat. Cole island was strategically important to the Royal Navy as an ammunition depot from 1859 when the first two powder magazines were constructed by the Royal Engineers. Five of the original structures remain.
*As of July 2023 visit: Current restorations underway to preserve what remains, also the guard house has been converted to a living quarters for a full time caretaker of the island. He's very welcoming and well versed with the history of the island and gave us a tour while we were there.
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Type: Buildings
Status: Abandoned
Accessibility: Moderate
Recommendation: worth the trip
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Powder magazine storage facilities. Several buildings left, and many foundations and ruins on a very small, beautiful island. Lots of history in this place.
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welded doors wooden boarding
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By Lloyd Brooks: Better known by visiting boaters than by most Victorians, the picturesque little island at the head of Esquimalt harbour is visible from the Six Mile bridge on highway 1A. Cole Island was strategically important to the Royal Navy as far back as the 1860s, when construction of the ammunition storage depot began. Eventually there were 17 solidly built brick and metal structures on the island, including a wharf and a guard house. Only five remain standing – barely. Even two massive brick ammunition storage buildings now show the relentless impact of tide, weather and vandalism. It is a lonely little island dominated by tall firs, arbutus and tangled brush. Open spaces are carpeted with a mass of flowering St. John's wort long escaped from some early caretaker's garden. One gets an eerie feeling wandering through huge empty vaults and under high arch-supported floors designed to support heavy loads of artillery shells, but now home to nesting geese, fluttering pigeons and the occasional curious river otter. Everything speaks of abandonment as a modern world focuses on more important issues of survival and entertainment, indifferent to the relics of a dynamic and colourful part of West Coast history. The island and its aresenal were first abandoned in 1905 when the Royal Navy left its Esquimalt base. After 1910 the newly formed Canadian navy continued to use the magazine storage facility until it became obsolete for military purposes during World War II. Then it was abondoned again until it became a logical addition to nearby Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Park. After a brief flurry of stabilization and restoration in the '70s, it was abandoned once again to be foisted on to a reluctant provincial government. It became the charge of the Heritage Branch, a sort of holding agency for historic buildings. Another flurry of activity followed in the '80s for public safety reasons and to secure the buildings against further vandalism through installation of steel doors and shutters. It wasn't long before persistent youths removed steel doors and the destruction continued. The most recent threat to the remaining structures is from nature itself, seemingly tired of man's sporadic attempts to defy decay. There is now serious erosion from tidal action on the main supporting columns of the arches holding up the main floor of the largest arsenal. Collapse appears to be imminent. What, is the longer term future of these brooding historic structures? Cole Island straddles the boundary between View Royal and Colwood but is technically within Colwood's boundary. This historic Island would make an ideal provincial marine park complementing the marine park on the other side of Victoria at Discovery Island. Its adjacent waters are a haven from the Juan de Fuca Strait storms. The harbour has good holding ground for visiting vessels to anchor and the attractive tree cover provides shade for sun-baked visiting boaters. Are these unique remnants of earlier days to succumb to nature's persistent attack and be left to the geese, the pigeons and the river otter?
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The June 2006 issue of Pacific Yachting Magazine referred to Cole Island as "the most picturesque anchorage in Esquimalt Harbour". Stories like this continue to attract visitors but our local press has played a major role in bringing attention to the issues.
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In June 2006, Cole Island was officially recognized as a national historic site. It was designated part of a "National Historic District" by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. The Friends of Cole Island Society is working with various levels of government to safeguard the old arsenals from further damage and to stop the vandalism that has plagued the site for years.
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The moderator rating is a neutral rating of the content quality, photography, and coolness of this location.
Category |
Rating |
Photography |
7 / 10 |
Coolness |
7 / 10 |
Content Quality |
7 / 10 |
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This location's validation is current. It was last validated by
Emperor Wang on 7/25/2023 1:50 PM.
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on Jul 25 23 at 13:50, Emperor Wang validated this location on Jul 25 23 at 0:46, Emperor Wang changed the following: History, Description on Jul 24 23 at 16:41, Masakari changed the following: Description on Apr 17 15 at 0:46, Mike Dijital validated this location on Apr 15 15 at 5:36, Luigi changed the following: Web Links on Apr 15 15 at 5:33, Luigi updated gallery picture Cole Island on Apr 15 15 at 5:33, Luigi updated gallery picture Cole Island on Apr 15 15 at 5:32, Luigi updated gallery picture Cole Island on Apr 15 15 at 5:32, Luigi updated gallery picture Cole Island on Apr 15 15 at 5:32, Luigi updated gallery picture Cole Island
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