Labyrinth House, 1985

• Constructed 1985
• Location North Saanich, BC
• Architect Pamela Charlesworth
• Use Dwelling

Labyrinth House was designed by architect Pamela Charlesworth in 1985 for Betty Anne and Raymond Smith on an undeveloped lot formerly owned by the Ardmore Golf Course. This land had once been orchards planted by the first settler families who arrived in 1853 onwards. The BOKECEN band of the WSANEC nation, whose reserve is slightly to the south of here, likely once considered this very spot part of their homeland. Betty Anne was by all accounts a nature lover, a gardener, a traveler, and a very gentle soul with strong spiritual leanings. She held meditation gatherings once a month at the house. After an experience in a labyrinth in San Francisco, she came home determined to create her own in the back yard. Labyrinths (as distinct from mazes) are ancient tools for walking meditation. Not only does the property boast a beautifully designed modern home, but the surrounding grounds offer a lush garden full of rhododendrons and Japanese Maples, and Betty Anne’s labyrinth.

Pamela Charlesworth, a well-respected architect on Vancouver Island, was a Fellow of the RAIC, received an AIBC Special Recognition Award in 2006, and for 20 years as Chair of the Provincial Capital Commission. After her sudden passing in 2008, David Cubberly, former Saanich councillor and MLA, said, “Pamela was a committed and inspiring activist in our region. […] As PCC Chair, she secured the buildings and grounds of St. Anne’s Academy in perpetuity. […] She also helped establish a regional greenways initiative and played a key role in bringing about the Galloping Goose Trail. […] Pamela was a talented architect, and she’s left a lasting legacy of residential buildings here that will be treasured by future generations. She was kind, bright, funny, and wise.[…]”