Exterior view of the Thompson Farm.
Photo: District of Saanich, 2004.
- Built
- 1916
- Recognized
- 1997
- By
- Local government
The register’s text, word for word
Description
The Thompson Farm is a small farm in the Rural Saanich area of Saanich, containing a number of wood-frame buildings including a house, water tower, barn, root cellar, chicken coops, workshop, and tool shed. The farm buildings are closely arranged around the farmhouse. The property has a rose garden and orchard.
Heritage value
The Thompson Farm is significant as a demonstration of the role of farming in the local economy. From 1916 the Harold and Myra Thompson family farmed the land and over time erected several outbuildings, most of which have survived and form the most important historic grouping of farm buildings in Saanich. The farm now acts as a demonstration farm, recreating farming customs and crafts of the past.
This site is significant as it contains a rare surviving water tower built c.1928 by Harold Thompson. The wooden structure has a base with battered walls surmounted by the rectangular, on plan, tank housing. The base contained a workshop and two bedrooms, related to farming functions. Huge beams and the tank were moved from another water tower that was demolished that year, demonstrating the reuse of buildings and structures demanded by the limited revenue associated with agricultural pursuits.
SourceSaanich Municipal Archives, file 5271 Old West Saanich Road
Character‑defining elements
Key elements of the heritage character of the Thompson Farm include its:
- form, scale and massing of the vernacular farm buildings
- spatial arrangement of the farm buildings in relation to each other and the farm house
- the water tower, and its banks of multi-paned windows
- varied use of wooden construction and cladding including shingle cladding on the house and drop siding on the water tower
- re-used building materials
- battered walls on water tower
End of the register’s text
Location
5271 Old West Saanich Road, Saanich, British Columbia, V9E, Canada
48.52372° N, 123.41016° W
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Nearby
All 67 places in Saanich
Similar places
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From the Canadian Register of Historic Places, as last updated on December 12, 2025. The register’s text is shown word for word.