About Us
Since 1988, the Fairbridge Chapel Heritage Society has been caring for this treasured Vancouver Island landmark. What began with a group of dedicated local citizens has grown into an organization entrusted by the Cowichan Valley Regional District to preserve and share this important piece of our history.
The Prince of Wales Fairbridge Farm School shaped the lives of hundreds of young people and left an enduring mark on our community.
Fairbridge Chapel, located at Cowichan Station on Vancouver Island, was the first religious building to receive local and provincial heritage designation within the Cowichan Valley, in 1981, in order to protect not only the site, which also contains the one-room Cowichan Public School, built in 1885, but also to maintain and display the numerous significant historic features and artefacts contained within the Chapel itself.
The Fairbridge Chapel Heritage Society administers this heritage site, located on the first homestead in Cowichan Station, which includes three historic icons:
Fairbridge Chapel
Built in 1939, a huge building seating 280 people, and a rare local example of British Arts & Crafts architecture, made from first growth Douglas Fir, with interior exposed beams, stucco façade, and stunning stained-glass windows.
It commemorates the Fairbridge Farm School, part of an important chapter of Canadian and British Imperial history known as the British Home Child Program, where over 100,000 children were sent to Canada from Britain between the 1860s and 1939. It’s estimated that around 10-12% of the Canadian population today is descended from British Home Children.
This beautiful building remains an active part of the community, has hosted over 250 weddings over the years, and continues to be used for weddings, concerts, and other events.
Turret Clock
The turret clock actually predates the chapel by over half a century, and is the oldest public clock in British Columbia!
Constructed in England in 1875 with a similar mechanism to Big Ben, it was originally mounted in downtown Victoria on Government Street as the first public clock in town, and was later donated to the chapel upon its construction.
It remains one of the only fully mechanical turret clocks in Canada, wound by hand every few days, and still ringing on the hour over 150 years after its construction.
Cowichan Public School
This one-room rural schoolhouse was built in 1885, and is reported to be the oldest wood framed building north of Victoria. As most of the original settler buildings have been torn down, the schoolhouse, has great significance to Vancouver Island, marking the beginning of development of the northern island area, from the Cowichan Valley to Port Hardy.