Immediately north of the Empress Court are the principal thoroughfares of Victoria Old Town - Wharf Street, Government Street and Douglas Street running north-south, Johnson Street, Yates Street and Fort Street crossing them. Painstakingly renovated and restored over recent years, the Old Town boasts some historic buildings and old-fashioned shops such as Roger's Chocolate and the tobacconist E.A. Morris.
Bastion Square, with its pretty shops and restaurants, occupies the site of the original Fort Victoria, constructed in 1843. Market Square and the hidden away Trounce Alley, a redevelopment of old warehouses, are also charming. More old buildings between Government Street and Douglas Street house the Victorian Eaton Center, a shoppers' paradise, The Harbour Walkway, which starts at the light blue painted Johnson Street Bridge (a restored suspension bridge) and continues round the busy harbor with its colorful boats to Laurel Point and Fisherman's Wharf, makes a delightful waterfront promenade.
The former Court House (1869) in Bastion Square is now the Maritime Museum of British Columbia, displaying a host of items from the age of sail. Centerpiece of the exhibition is the "Tilikum", a large Indian canoe in which, at the beginning of the century, some fearless souls voyaged to England. Also commemorated - appropriately enough in the old Court House - is the legendary Richard Matthew Begbie whose administration of justice at the end of the 19th c. led to his being christened "the Hanging Judge".
Address: Maritime Museum Of British Columbia, 28 Bastion Square, Victoria, BC V8W1H9, Canada
Phone: 1 2503854222X102, Fax: 1 (250) 382-2869
Hours:
10am-5pm
Always closed on: Christmas - Christian (December 25)
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