Because The Searcher by Tana French was selected as our next Book of the Month, and we noticed the mention of Guinness in a previous post, here is a little follow-up, with a little home town flavour.
The Guinness family, known for their beer, have been involved in land development in West Vancouver, BC since the 1930s. They purchased 4000 acres of land that is now known as the British Properties in 1931. This area is one of the most affluent areas in the Greater Vancouver Regional District and spans the area west of the Capilano River, north of the highway, to Horseshoe Bay. Some of Canada’s most expensive homes are built on sprawling terraces cut into the side of the North Shore mountains. They also built the Lion’s Gate Bridge, one of two bridges that connect Vancouver to the North Shore. The Guinness family continue to develop land in West Vancouver to this day.
The British Properties originally had covenants that forbade people “of African or Asiatic” race from owning homes in the area. Jewish people were also excluded, although, eventually, the first synagogue in West Vancouver was built opposite the entrance to the British Properties. It wasn’t until the late ’70s that the covenants were voided, but landowners now are still finding the racist clause attached to their land titles to this day. Although the covenants were made unenforceable in 1978, the District of West Vancouver council deemed it too costly to have the clauses removed from all of the titles in the neighbourhood.
Below are some our photos of parks and trails in West Vancouver and Cypress Mountain while out on various hiking, snowboarding or snowshoeing adventures. If you look closely, you’ll see Tara snowshoeing in one of the photos!
More Photos From Book Club Friends (click to enlarge)
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Beautiful photos and fascinating information about the Guiness family and your area of Canada. Thanks for sharing.
Oh, I can’t wait to visit again and look for more connections to this area. One of our favorite activities in Vancouver is to take the bus from Vancouver’s West End neighborhood, over the bridge and to the Quay Market area! It is an absolutely lovely ride for the price of a bus fare.
Try the seabus next time Jane! It only takes 15 min to go from downtown to the Quay and you will never get stuck in traffic on the bridge. Plus, it’s a very nice ride and perhaps preferable to the bus; the cost is the same for either mode of transport.
I loved this and the pictures are stunning!
So interesting, and thought-provoking, too. And the pictures are absolutely gorgeous. Thanks, BCF!
Thank you for this interesting and delightful post. I love Vancouver and have several relatives living there. When I was a child every summer we visited my Canadian grandparents who resided in the Kitsilano area of Vancouver. I have so many happy memories of those years. Vancouver became like a second home to me. By the time I was a teenager they had sold their house and moved to the West End. I loved spending time with them at their apartment overlooking beautiful English Bay. Your words made me eager to visit Vancouver again soon! Oh, and Guinness beer is my hubby’s favourite!
Lovely!