St. Ann's Academy

The Gardens at St. Ann's reflected the building itself. They combined majesty and functionality for the institution's different religious and educational aims. The Garden's also provide a nice metaphor for the architecture of St. Ann's Academy, since they were strongly influenced and altered by the local West Coast environment.

The structure of the grounds with the building set far back to the South was set up with the first construction in 1871, but there was very limited garden landscaping.¹ By the 1880s, the dramatic front pathway was in place, and the grounds were filled with paths and plants, but the most important landscaping took place shortly after the completion of the Hooper wing from 1911 to 1913. Fr. Vullinghs, a priest from the Netherlands, was working at St. Joseph's Hospital across the street from St. Ann's, and he offered to design the landscaping for the sisters.²

The efforts of Fr. Vullinghs resulted in the erection of a large wrought iron gate, several gazeboes, a children's battleship fountain, and an elaborate bicycle shelter. The gardens themselves were controlled and geometric. They contained vegetable gardens, playing fields, and contemplation areas for the noviate.³ The St. Ann's gardens were some of the most impressive in Victoria, even with the growing Garden City Movement, but they imbedded everyday functionality into their fantastic design.

The gardens changed dramatically in the following years, since some alien species of plants and trees died while other native species encroached on the grounds. The gardens at St. Ann's, like the building, were a negotiation between the new people who came to resettle British Columbia and the land itself.