New Westminster

Strong in tradition - Committed to service
New Westminster Museum and Archives presents
The Museum

A Very Victorian Christmas
at Irving House
December 12, 13, 19 & 20
Click HERE for details

The New Westminster Museum and Archives constists of three components.
1. The City's Museum
2. The City's Archives
3. 1865 Irving House

New Westminster Museum and Archives is one of the oldest provincial community
heritage sites and a great opportunity to explore the history of the colony's
capital and the original commercial hub of the Lower Mainland.

LOCATION
302 Royal Avenue
New Westminster, BC, V3L 1H7
Directions to the Museum, click here

CONTACT US
Colin Stevens, Manager
Cynthia Bronaugh, Tour Group Coordinator & Office Assistant
Phone: 604-527-4640
Fax: 604-527-4641

HOURS
May - August ~ Wednesday to Sunday, 12:00 - 5:00 pm
September - April ~ Wednesday to Sunday, 12:00 - 4:00 pm

PROGRAMS
Find out the latest museum programs in our Active Living Guide.

SCHOOL PROGRAMS
Click here for our school program brochure.

ONLINE EXHIBITS
How the Recording Industry Started – read on for a fascinating story with an option to listen to two musical recordings from 1896 and 1906

Museum Temporary Exhibits

150 Years of Fashion in
New Westminster
September 12 - January 16
For 150 years our City has strived to keep up with the times when it comes to looking their best. Fashions come and go, reflecting changes in the people and culture of a city. Renowned fashion historian Ivan Sayers has joined the New Westminster Museum and Archives to tell the story of our city through our fantastic collection of costume representing the past 150 years.


LONG TERM MUSEUM EXHIBITS
The New Westminster Museum’s long-term exhibitions concentrate on the local history of New Westminster through a series of displays. Exhibition themes represent the cultural heritage of the Royal City and include:

The New Westminster Story
An ongoing exhibit about the history of Western Canada's oldest city (1859) also called the "Royal City".

New Westminster - some historic photos
An exploration of early New Westminster, past and present, is seen through oversized aerial photographs and maps.		  

New Westminster May Day
The history of North America ’s longest running May Day celebration from the first event in 1870 to the present is a big part of our community history.

. The Great New Westminster Fire of 1898
Pictures and artifacts from the night the dowtown district burned on September 10/11, 1898. 		 

TREASURES IN THE MUSEUM'S COLLECION
The New Westminster Museum and Archives has over 30,000 items in its collection, but not all of these can be shown at one time due to space constraints, conservation concerns and other reasons. An artifact or archival item may be considered by us to be a “treasure” if it represents part of the City's history. Such a “treasure” may or may not have a 'monetary' value but its historical value is priceless. Here are a few of the “treasures” that we hold in trust for the citizens of New Westminster:

The Dufferin Coach - This coach was used by the Governor General of Canada, the Earl of Dufferin, and his wife when they toured the new province of British Columbia in 1876. It was apparently built in San Francisco, California, for this purpose and was purchased by Mr. Dufferin for $250. The coach was pulled by 4 or 6 horses. It was later used by the BX Company as a VIP coach. The Native Sons of BC bought the coach from Louis Lebordais. In 1929 the coach was rescued from the burning fairgrounds buildings at Queen’s Park and was used for some of the May Day ceremonies. Accession number IH 951.142.1
Donor: Native Sons of B.C. Post No. 4.

An external doorway from the St. Anne’s Academy in New Westminster, circa 1877. Donor unknown.

Queen Victoria’s Shawl circa 1862 – New Westminster was named by Queen Victoria in 1859 and thus we are known as the Royal City. Here is an edited transcription of a 1926 newspaper article about her shawl which we have "… The story of the Queen's shawl, given to Miss Jean Duncan just after the death of Prince Albert. [Albert died December 14, 1861]. Mrs. John Dawson of Florence Court, whose husband was a nephew of Miss Duncan, has this beautiful cashmere shawl of black and white plaid now in her possession and she tells the following story of how it came into her family … The Queen spent considerable time in Scotland, where she rested and sent (sic - should be ‘went’) about among her people and frequently called at the home of William and Jane Duncan, who, with their daughter Jean, lived opposite Balmoral castle. …When the Queen came to Scotland, on the death of the Prince Consort, to spend a period of mourning among her well-beloved subjects, her grief was unconsolable [sic - should be ‘inconsolable’] and many of the elderly women of the neighborhood, on being admitted to the Queen, tried in vain to console her. … Finally Jean Duncan was sent for and the old ladies said to her: "Jean, the Queen likes you; go to her alone, child, and see what you can do for her." Jean went and found the Queen disconsolately sitting on the last step of the wide stairs in the castle, and after persuading her to retire, Jean said that she must be going. But her Majesty requested her to stay the night and in the morning when Jean was prepared to leave, the Queen said to her, "As the morning is chilly you must wear this shawl home, and never mind returning it. Keep it as a remembrance of me." And so the shawl and other gifts as well as the gracious words of Queen Victoria to Jean Duncan, have been treasured memories of the Duncan family and their descendants even to this day." (The Vancouver Sunday PROVINCE, May 23 1926 p. 8) The shawl was given to the museum in 1952. Accession number IH 952.15.1 Donor: Mrs. J. Worsfold

This violin was owned by Arthur Thomas Bushby, a pioneer of New Westminster and later the Attorney General of B.C. He married Agnes, the daughter of Governor Douglas. Mr. Bushby played the violin for local children at early May Day events in the City. The violin was made about 1780 to 1820. Inside it are two labels which read "Erasmus Schiefler Instrumentenmacher Repairirt Hannover 1851" [Translation - Erasmus Schiefler repaired it in Hanover, 1851] and "Repaired by J. Bagnall, Victoria , B.C., Oct. 12th, 1878 " Accession number IH 960.2.1 Donor: Douglas B.F. Bullen of Victoria, BC
This second violin was used in New Westminster by Rufus Gilley about 1915 - 1920. Inside is a label saying that it was made by Antonius Stradiuarius of Cremona in 1727. The media became very interested in the story and the story went all across Canada. The label turned out to be fake, as expected and the violin was discovered to have been made in Germany about 1905. Accession number IH 960.2.1 Donor Mrs. R. Gilley.
This conducting baton was presented to the Bishop of New Westminster in 1886 by the ladies of the New Westminster Choral Union. It appears to be made of ivory with silver fittings and is in its presentation case. Accession number IH 955.19.1 Donor: NW Public Library
Model made by Ray Adams of New Westminster of the paddlewheel steamer S.S. William Irving. The original ship was built for John Irving in 1880 and the ship was named after John’s father who had built Irving House. Accession number IH 987.24.1 Donor: Ray Adams

As with all museums, much of the collection is in reserve collection storage due to lack of space, condition, duplication etc. Various artifacts are rotated out of storage into temporary exhibits, long term exhibits, loans and are also available for study. Here are some of the First Peoples’ baskets as well as some of the shoes in the museum’s collection.

AVAILABLE SERVICES
Archives
Irving House (1865 restored heritage home)
Tour & School Groups
Gift Shop
Research Request Form
Reproduction Costs

How to Donate Artifacts and Why

You can help the museum to preserve the history of New Westminster . If you have any artifacts or original document photos, maps, etc. that are from New Westminster , please consider donating them to the museum where they will be professionally protected and preserved for generations to come.

Artifact Donation Form

Wanted! A Few Good Volunteers!


New Westminster
Museum and Archives
Tea and Music
Staff and volunteers enjoining a celebration dinner on patio outside Irving House 
A staff member with some of our valued volunteers!

Wanted! A Few Good Volunteers!
Are you addicted to the History Channel? Do you enjoy working with the public? Are you keen to learn more about New Westminster ’s past? If so, the New Westminster Archives wants you to help take care of the Royal City’s documentary heritage! Help researchers with enquiries, perform conservation on old documents, and assist with archival descriptions! For more information, see links below or call Rob McCullough at 604-515-3842.

Affilliated Groups

The Royal Engineers and Associates Living History Group

Other Heritage Information Sources: