Description of Historic Place

CFB Esquimalt, Bickford Tower, Building # D118 stands on Grant Knoll, a commanding position overlooking Esquimalt Harbour. It is a four-storey, lighthouse-like, octagonal brick tower topped by a glazed signal room. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

CFB Esquimalt, Bickford Tower, Building # D118 is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical Value:
CFB Esquimalt, Bickford Tower, Building # D118 is a very good example of a military structure integral to the defence system of the original Royal Naval complex at Esquimalt. Among the last of Britain’s Imperial defence works, Esquimalt was headquarters of the Pacific station of the Royal Navy from 1865 to 1905. CFB Esquimalt, Bickford Tower, Building # D118 was a purpose-built structure for visual communication via semaphore, signal flag or other means. It became obsolete with the introduction of a military telephone system two years after its construction.

Architectural Value:
CFB Esquimalt, Bickford Tower, Building # D118 is a good example of a coastal defence-signalling tower, and the only existing Canadian example. Its concrete floor and foundations are an example of the early use of this building material in military architecture.

Environmental Value:
Overlooking Esquimalt harbour, CFB Esquimalt, Bickford Tower, Building # D118 is a well-known landmark for both military and civilian vessels navigating the harbour entrance. Standing on Grant Knoll, a former island now joined to the mainland, the tower helps to define the narrow entrance and reinforce the present character of the Canadian Forces Base at Esquimalt.

Source:
Bickford Tower Building D118, CFB Esquimalt, Esquimalt, British Columbia, Heritage Character Statement 87-138.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of CFB Esquimalt, Bickford Tower, Building # D118 should be respected.

Its functional design and good quality materials and craftsmanship, for example: the four-storey lighthouse-like octagonal column of brick with brick corbel gables beneath the projecting concrete and iron floor of the glazed signal room; the eight-facetted conical roof of the glazed signal room; the simply designed railing around the external gallery of the signal room with attachments for flagstaff and semaphore post; the tower’s narrow door and window openings with corbelled segmented arches, stone windowsills and wooden sash, and the glazing of the signal room’s doors and windows; the four interior levels interconnected by steep, narrow, wooden stairs; the concrete floor and foundations.

The manner in which CFB Esquimalt, Bickford Tower, Building # D118 is a familiar landmark as evidenced by: its situation on the attractive peninsula of Grant Knoll, where it helps to define the narrow entrance to Esquimalt Harbour; its familiarity as a landmark to those frequenting CFB Esquimalt, and also to Maritime traffic.

Heritage Character Statement

Disclaimer - The heritage character statement was developed by FHBRO to explain the reasons for the designation of a federal heritage building and what it is about the building that makes it significant (the heritage character). It is a key reference document for anyone involved in planning interventions to federal heritage buildings and is used by FHBRO in their review of interventions.

The Bickford Tower, on Grant Knoll overlooking Esquimalt Harbour, was erected as a signalling tower in 1901 to the designs of the Royal Navy's "Officer in Charge of Works," T. Woodgate, part of a modest upgrading of strength that was to mark the British Admiralty's last direct investments for Imperial defence in Canada. It is currently the property of the Department of National Defence, within the bounds of the Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Esquimalt. See FHBRO Building Report 87-138.

Reason for Designation
The Bickford Tower has been designated a Recognized federal heritage building as a unique structure associated with a particular theme of national military history, as a carefully designed and executed example of maritime architecture and engineering, and particularly as a highly visible element of great importance in its harbour surroundings.

The sole instance of its type in the nation, the Bickford Tower was among the very last of Britain's Imperial defence works in Canada. A purpose-built structure for semaphore, signal flag and other means of naval visual communication, the tower became substantially obsolete at the introduction of a military telephone system two years after its construction. Britain withdrew her naval units in 1905 and the Royal Canadian Navy assumed control of the site in 1910. Nevertheless the tower has remained militarily useful from time-to-time up to the present, and its presence helps define visually the narrow harbour entrance at Esquimalt for both military and civilian vessels. Both its exterior and its painted wooden interior evince the maintenance and care of detail typical of naval facilities.

The tower is sited prominently on an attractive peninsula. The designation applies to both exterior and interior, and especially to the tower's physical presence and setting on its peninsula.

Character Defining Elements
Bickford Tower is a lighthouse-like column of brick topped by a glazed signal room.

The external heritage character of the tower is of an octagonal brick column, with brick corbel tables beneath a projecting concrete and iron floor of the glazed signal room. This is in turn surmounted by an eight-faceted conical roof.

The tower's narrow door and window openings, which appear on different elevations at each storey, are themselves corbelled segmented arches, permitting the openings to appear more generous and admitting more light to the lower storeys. The stone windowsills punctuate and relieve the uniformity of the brick shaft. The concrete signal floor and foundations are early uses of the material in military construction. A simply designed railing around the external gallery of the signal room provides attachments for flagstaff and semaphore post, the original means for communication from the tower.

The four interior levels are interconnected by steep narrow wooden stairs about the perimeter, giving access at second and third levels to small rooms partitioned off from the stairs. The ground-floor mess and fourth-level signal room are open in plan.

As a whole, the building retains almost all of the characteristic features of its original construction, and these should be protected and retained in the course of any future work. It is entirely fitting that its original and existing use continue; it is a well-recognized landmark for vessels navigating the harbour entrance. The internal character of the building has apparently been well-maintained and little altered, apart from periodic repainting and refinishing. As there is no evidence of any substantial deterioration, a regular program of maintenance and repair should continue.

The wooden sash and glazing of the signal room's doors and windows are essential features of the elevations, and should be replicated precisely in the event of any replacement glazing. Consideration should be given to sampling and recording finishes, paints and colours, both existing and hidden, before any future refinishing.

The Bickford Tower is related by design, material, texture, and detail to the other Royal Navy structures at the base. All of these are representative and strong characteristics of the base. These characteristics should be incorporated in any components of the continuing evolution of the base.