Gastown, Vancouver, BC - Blog

Victoria Day

gerry.gramek@century21.ca — Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Victoria Day - In Honour of a Great Romance

This portrait, commissioned in 1843, shows the young Queen Victoria with her long brown hair loose around her shoulders, gazing into the distance. She was just 24 when painted by the German artist Franz Xaver Winterhalter and his work was described as her husband Albert's "favourite picture". The artwork is just one of 400 paintings, drawings, photographs, drawings and sculptures which will appear in an exhibition Buckingham Palace, showing the Queen's enthusiasm for art.

Jonathan Marsden, chief curator of the exhibition established in 2009 that focuses on the younger Victoria, said the collection should challenge the image of Queen Victoria as a melancholy widow who grieved her husband's death for 40 years.

"This exhibition will overturn the popular image of Queen Victoria and reveal an energetic, passionate young woman who delighted in the company of artists, musicians and performers and who idolized the opera and ballet stars of the time," he said.

"Commissioning and exchanging art was at the very heart of Victoria and Albert's relationship."

Victoria Day is a Canadian statutory holiday celebrated on the Monday preceding May 25. It honours Queen Victoria's birthday. In 2012 it is Monday, May 21.

Victoria Day is Canada's official nod to the birthday of Queen Victoria, but many Canadians consider this festive long weekend in May as the official kick off to summer. As such, the Victoria Day weekend is often a chance to leave town for a few days and embark on an early summer adventure. It also marks the unofficial time of the year for getting all your bedding plants in the ground. I, however have decided to dedicate this Victoria Day blog to the amazing life and romance of Victoria and Albert.

The above mentioned exhibition, Victoria & Albert: Art and Love, focuses on the time between her ascension to the throne in 1837 and Albert's death in 1861.

One of the Queen's journals shows her delight upon accepting the proposal of marriage: "Oh! to feel I was, and am, loved by such an Angel as Albert was too great a delight to describe!

"He is perfection in every way - in beauty, in everything!"

Queen Victoria reigned as Queen of England from 1837 until 1901. This British monarch was the longest sitting sovereign in history, keeping her seat on the throne for an astounding 63 years, 216 days. Canada has been celebrating the date of her 1819 birth since it was declared a holiday in this country in 1845. It became a legal day off after the monarch's death in 1901.

Wedding photo of Victoria and Albert

Victoria and Albert met when she was seventeen years old. An affection developed between them, but she did not wish to marry at the time. At eighteen, Victoria became queen (in 1837). The affection between her and Albert never ceased to exist and although there was no need to rush into marriage, they wanted it. As she was the queen, she proposed to Albert on 15 October 1839. They were married on 10 February 1840, in the Chapel Royal of St. James's Palace, London. Albert became both Victoria's companion and an important political advisor. They had nine children and forty-two grandchildren. Their marriage was very happy and their love strong. In 1861, Albert fell ill with typhoid fever and died. Victoria was devastated and wore black for the rest of her life.

Victorian Christmas

Victoria and Albert with their children celebrating Christmas

Many of our Christmas customs can be traced back to Great Britain during the Victorian era. The Christmas tree, Christmas cards, carol singers and Santa Claus stem from this era. The BBC produces an excellent television program called Victorian Farm Christmas. In it you get to see how people would have actually made Wassail punch or Christmas tree decorations in the Victorian era. This is all due to how the populace emulated the style in which Queen Victoria celebrated the festive season.

It's hard to imagine now, but at the beginning of the 19th century Christmas was hardly celebrated. Many businesses did not even consider it a holiday. However by the end of the century it had become the biggest annual celebration and took on the form that we recognise today.

The transformation happened quickly, and came from all sectors of society.

Victoria and Albert gathered around the Christmas tree with their children.

Many attribute the change to Queen Victoria, and it was her marriage to the German-born Prince Albert that introduced some of the most prominent aspects of Christmas. In 1848 the Illustrated London News published a drawing of the royal family celebrating around a decorated Christmas tree, a tradition that was reminiscent of Prince Albert's childhood in Germany. Soon every home in Britain had a tree bedecked with candles, sweets, fruit, homemade decorations and small gifts. The now familiar Christmas cracker was invented in the 1880's and remains essentially the same today. The Christmas card industry also began in this time.

While Charles Dickens did not invent the Victorian Christmas, his book A Christmas Carol is credited with helping to popularise and spread the traditions of the festival. Its themes of family, charity, goodwill, peace and happiness encapsulate the spirit of the Victorian Christmas, and are very much a part of the Christmas we celebrate today.

These themes seem to encapsulate the aspects of life most important to Victoria and Albert.

A Nation Mourns

Prince Albert's tomb at the mausoleum at Frogmore

When Prince Albert, died in the winter of 1861, the 42-year-old queen and her nation were paralysed with grief.

Britain was in mourning for the German-born Prince Consort who had helped to bring stability to the monarchy and who had been everything to their popular queen ... husband, companion, father of their children, friend, confidant, wise counsellor and unofficial private secretary. Their love was a great one.

Sympathy poured out for the royal family at their shattering loss but gradually the public grew impatient with her cult of grief and court circles became weary of the never-ending imperative to wear nothing but black and festoons of jet mourning jewellery (albeit a boom time for Whitby’s jet-making industry).

Victoria & Albert's daughters with his memorial bust

Over the next ten years, Victoria’s retreat into a state of impenetrable pathological grief and her stubborn refusal to return to public life sparked a resurgence of republicanism and even talk of abdication.

It took the near-death from typhoid of her much-maligned eldest son Bertie in 1871 to finally shock the reclusive queen out of her self-indulgent and self-imposed isolation and take up with renewed vigour the reins of monarchy for another 30 years.

What was the best part of your week?

Hope you've enjoyed this posting. If you have any questions, any little known facts or interesting Vancouver Stories or pictures you'd like to share, please feel free to contact me.

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For all your Real Estate needs, please contact me at:

Gerry Gramek @ 604-551-2747

http://www.century21.ca/gerry.gramek

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Home Sales Surge in BC North

eniz.aziz@century21.ca — Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

New stats released by BCREA for April 2012.

The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) reports that the dollar volume of homes sold through Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in BC declined 12.5 per cent to $3.8 billion in April compared to the same month last year. A total of 7,058 MLS® residential unit sales were recorded over the same period, down 1.8 per cent from April 2011. The average MLS® residential price was $532,855, 10.9 per cent lower than a year ago.

"A ten per cent dip in Lower Mainland home sales offset a 14 per cent increase across the rest of the province,” said Cameron Muir, BCREA Chief Economist. “Kamloops, the Okanagan and the North all posted double-digit increases in home sales in April compared to levels one year ago."

"The share of provincial sales garnered by Vancouver and the Fraser Valley declined from 65 per cent in April 2011 to 60 per cent last month,” added Muir. “A larger proportion of homes sold in less expensive regions contributed to the average BC sales price dipping nearly 11 per cent."

Year-to-date, BC residential sales dollar volume declined 15.8 per cent to $15 billion, compared to the same period last year. Residential unit sales dipped 9.7 per cent to 23,782 units, while the average MLS® residential price was 6.8 per cent lower at $546,870.

For more information based on your specific area please call The Aziz Group 604-726-3257

Greater Vancouver Real Estate Stats April 2012 and Professional Advice

eniz.aziz@century21.ca — Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Over the last decade Vancouver's Real Estate Market has been hot and surging. A lot of economist and journalist write and predicting doom and gloom.

The FUTURE of the Vancouver Real Estate market is not going to burst or explode.

What you should expect in Vancouver is a strong buyers market over the next 10 months.

In the last few months the number of Condo listings in downtown Vancouver have risen by 50%. The number of homes sold have dropped by 20%. The price on average have also declined creating a buyers market (this is based on a average over all).

If you break down each corner of the Downtown Vancouver Real Estate Market and break it it further down by price category certain home are highly sought after and tend to draw multiple offers and a lot of interest.

For example;

-1 bedroom homes under $400K still move very quickly and don't stay on the market for a long period of time. This type of home appeals to many different types buyers. Don't expect this category to be a buyers market anytime soon.

-2 bedroom Condos between $600K - $700K are also a hot commodity and also draw a lot of attention from home buyers.

-Expect the rest of the product out there especially high end luxury condos to drop the most in value over the next few years.

The one key factor driving the Real Estate Market across Canada are the interest rates. If you plan on buy a home and living there over the next 5 years this is the time to purchase a home and make your move.

As a Real Estate Advisor there is one question I ask all potential buyers...

Would you rather purchase a home for $700,000 with a 3% mortgage rate (roughly $2300 a month) or would you rather purchase the same home for $630,000 with a 6% mortgage rate (roughly $3000a month)?

For more detailed Real Estate advice and information on your specific area contact The Aziz Group 604-726-3257

Coming soon to Yaletown

michael.laprairie@century21.ca — Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Yaletown Newsletter: Make Music Vancouver

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Coming soon to Yaletown

Be on the lookout for these things coming to Yaletown this Summer:

MAKE MUSIC VANCOUVER

A fantastic free event is coming to Yaletown this Summer! On June 21st, Make Music Vancouver will bring in hundreds of bands to the streets and businesses of Yaletown. This event gives the local music community an opportunity to step up and share their passion for music.

Make Music Vancouver is a part of "Fête de la musique", a global event that began in France in 1982. The event brings both experienced and emerging musical talents to the streets on the longest day of the year (June 21st). Last year, Make Music Vancouver brought out 150 local bands and 20,000 people for the free outdoor event.

Are you a musician, or do you know a band that would like to perform during this event? Please contact the Yaletown BIA so that we can have them included in the City permit.

YALETOWN HISTORY

The Yaletown BIA has produced 20 story boards which will be attached to street lamp poles on the "Steamline Walking Route" along Hamilton & Mainland St. These boards will create a self-guided history tour that you can enjoy as you walk the streets of the neighbourhood. Each board has a unique story, fun-facts, or before-and-after photos of the neighbourhood. Watch out, this tour will be expanded soon to include even more streets with more stories.

History boards will be installed this summer! Check out all the locations online here:
http://yaletowninfo.com/visitors/walking-tours/yaletown-history-boards/

PLACES THAT MATTER

The Vancouver Heritage Foundation has approved 2 of the Yaletown BIA's nominations for "Places that Matter". The 2 locations that will receive plaques at an event in the near future are:

Recreation Park: The first Athletic Park, located in the 5 acres bordered by Smithe St, Nelson St, Hamilton St and Homer St. This recreation park had a stadium and playing field. This park opened in 1905 and survived until 1913.

First Gas Station: Canada’s first gas station opened in 1907 at the southeast corner of Cambie and Smythe (now spelled Smithe) in Yaletown. This station was operated by the Imperial Oil Company, where pails were hand-dipped into a large wooden barrel of gasoline and then transferred to cars.

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