Goward House

In April 2008, Goward House Society received a two-year grant from Saanich Legacy Foundation to upgrade the garden beds and to encourage use of native plant species in the contact zone between garden beds and adjacent woodland.

By summer 2009, approximately 70 potted native plants had been planted in newly enlarged Goward House garden beds. In October 2011, Goward House Society received a grant from the Fido-Evergreen Grant Program under the title “Boundary naturalization in a municipal natural area, Saanich, B.C.” That project, completed in June 2012, resulted in removal of invasive non-native shrubs and vines in a 5-meter-wide band of the Goward woodland along the rear of private properties on Rowley Road

Today’s urban forest surrounding Goward House is a result of the fortunate confluence of several circumstances three decades ago: the desire of the Goward family that the property remain undivided when they sold the property to the District of Saanich; the initiative and strong support of the Cadboro Bay Residents Association, under the chair of Gerry Gabel,  in the period from 1987 to 1989; the support of residents adjacent to Goward House who were anxious that the property remain as undeveloped urban forest; and the late 1980’s support of Saanich Council and their 1989 rezoning of the property from single-family use to P-4 (Recreation and Open Space).

 

Let us not forget the important role played by the Cadboro Bay Residents association in Goward House and in the Goward woodland that we know today.

 

 

Everett Peterson

Come and stroll our wood-chip trails located amongst the cottonwood, Douglas fir, and arbutus trees; breath the fresh woodland air and listen to the birds.

A brochure of the Goward House Woodland footpaths is available (at no cost) from the Goward House front desk.

This photomap shows several entry or exit points that connect chip-surfaced footpaths to the Goward House garden and lawn area. From the map, walkers can find several alternative circular routes of varying lengths to suit their interests. The largest perimeter walk of one half kilometre can begin at location C near the lower Arbutus Road entrance to the front parking lot. A walker can proceed down the hill from location C to location A, a low wetland area of the Haro Creek floodplain dominated by cottonwoods, red alder, skunk cabbage, ferns and horsetail.The three largest cottonwoods on the property occur at location A, and from there the perimeter footpath extends south to the largest Douglas-fir in the Goward woodland at location D.

From location D the perimeter footpath passes through a wetland, then through an unforested blackberry field, to emerge at location B, the site of the largest oak in the Goward woodland. From location B, the perimeter route leads the hiker past several shore pines, emerging near the tearoom of Goward House..