– by Carole Pearson –
The sheltered waters of Brentwood Bay are located on the eastern side of Saanich Inlet. Early Malahat and Saanich peoples used the area as a winter home base. There was deer and waterfowl to hunt and fresh fish and intertidal shellfish to supplement dried food stocks until it was time to move to open waters in late spring.
The first non-native settlers began arriving in the late 1840s and forests were cleared for farming and houses, churches, and schools were built. By the 1900s, the introduction of rail transport and motorized vehicles enabled people to travel more easily. The population grew and Brentwood Bay became a popular summer destination because of these same sheltered waters and beautiful surroundings.
Long-time Brentwood Bay resident Lorna Pugh writes in her memoir Brentwood Bay and Me 1930 – 1940: “The railway opened up the country to campers and, for years summer homes surrounded Brentwood Bay.”
The British Columbia Electric Railway Company’s Interurban service through the Saanich Peninsula was launched in 1913. It ran from Victoria via Burnside and along West Saanich road to the
right-of-way (now Wallace Drive) and several stops along the way provided summer travelers easy access to Tod Inlet and Brentwood Bay.
On the north side of the bay a little community of cottages and boathouses became known as Moodyville and 90-year-old resident Jack Lenfesty still lives in the house his father bought long ago. The family originally lived in Victoria, but every summer his dad, William Lenfesty, rented a cottage on Brentwood Bay. Jack remembers feeling sorry to miss playing baseball with his friends back in Victoria. “But I later realized those kids would have given anything to be out here,” he says.
On the south end of the bay were more attractions geared towards summer visitors. Local businessman William Oakes Wallace operated the Anchorage Tearoom, a holiday resort with cabins and boat rentals, a small grocery store and a fishing pier. Refreshments were served in the tearoom and dances took place there every Saturday night during the summer.
A steam-powered electrical generating plant was also on the south shore. The BCER bought property in 1912 for its Brentwood Bay auxiliary plant which was needed to fill increased demands for electricity around greater Victoria. According to Pugh, the generating plant poured a continuous stream of boiling water into the bay and it made “a comfortable water temperature” for swimming.
Further up the road was Brentwood College, a private school for boys that opened in 1923 with an enrollment of 50 boys and four faculty members. The foundation stone for its Boys’ Chapel was laid in 1925. The school burned down in 1947 but the chapel survived the fire. The school was rebuilt in 1961 in Mill Bay and the chapel became the local parish church and renamed Brentwood Memorial Chapel.
Today, the Chapel is closed, Moodyville’s cottages are abutted by luxury homes, and the power plant was demolished and replaced with the Port Royale development. Still, Brentwood Bay continues to thrive as a popular destination for some of the best kayaking around. The calm, warm waters are also great for scuba diving, paddleboarding and other water activities. Four marinas provide moorage facilities for locals and tourists and the cafes and restaurants near shore offer a scenic spot to enjoy a drink or a bite to eat.
Protecting Brentwood Bay’s marine environment and eco-diversity takes work. Seachange Marine Conservation Society executive director Nikki Wright says: “The most impactful activities affecting Brentwood Bay in particular are human sewage from derelict vessels, stormwater flows, non-point pollution from the myriad land based activities.” Substances such as oil and windshield washer fluid flow off the non-permeable asphalt streets and directly into the Inlet.
Twenty years ago, at an Open House held by the BC Ministry of the Environment, local residents provided input on what they valued about Saanich Inlet. Brentwood Bay was ranked the most popular spot along the Inlet for many activities. People said they enjoyed the beauty, abundant and healthy population of marine and land plants, birds and animals as well as the peace and relaxation they experienced.
Today, more people than ever are making Brentwood Bay a destination, both for recreation and as a place to live. The amount of new home construction reflects the desirability of this area. In the Village, an array of shops and services are found within an easy-to-walk two blocks that include a park and landscaped medians. The mountain views over the roof tops make this a spectacular setting. Medical and professional services, salons, cafes, drug stores, liquor outlets and food markets are conveniently close to home for local residents. There’s a butcher, a baker and even several places where one can find a candlestick or two!
Photos (this page) by www.nuttycake.com.
