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Nicholson Road is an ongoing photo project aimed at sharing and celebrating the different communities in Metro Vancouver. Each week Vancouver Is Awesome will be featuring an image from the previous week, shot in one of the many 'hoods around town in order to draw your attention a little bit outside of the hyper-focus that we usually have on the City of Vancouver. |
If you know anything about Vancouver, you know the north shore has long been the place to go to escape the city, reconnect with the land, and find a little peace and quiet. That's just what people were seeking when they began to build summer homes and cottages in present day North and West Vancouver around the turn of the 20th century. Of course as more and more people made the trip across Burrard Inlet and some began to build permanent residences, businesses soon set up shop and communities formed.
In 1912, following the City of North Vancouver's inception in 1907, West Vancouver separated from the District of North Vancouver to become its own district municipality (and they've got a whole site dedicated to celebrating their centennial). Poor North Van District! It must have felt like one of those, "It's not you, it's me," moments. Later that same year, The Clachan Hotel was built right on the water at the foot of 25th street in the quiet village of Dundarave (named after Dundarave Castle in Scotland).
With the addition of the Pacific Great Eastern passenger rail service a couple years later (connecting Pemberton Ave. in North Vancouver with Horseshoe Bay, and later continuing up to Prince George), as well as the new Dundarave Pier, the location proved extremely popular and the hotel expanded to meet the growing need.
What does all of this have to do with the photo? In addition to the expected hotel services, The Clachan Hotel served a number of other functions over the years including: beach concession, regular location for Sunday Mass, the notable Peppi's restaurant, and since 1995, The Beach House restaurant (pictured above).
Today's Dundarave Pier, marking the western end of the West Vancouver Centennial Seawalk (opened on Canada's 100th birthday in 1968), is just one of the many amazing spots I visit to enjoy a sunset in Metro Van - and one of my absolute favourite places to turn off the world and be alone with my thoughts. If you've never managed to get out there, you can bet I recommend it!
Archives of the Nicholson Road project can be found HERE.
