Ross Bay Cemetery

In Victoria, this cemetery is the oldest surviving formal burial landscape design and a superb example of a Victorian-era burial ground. Its profusion of unusual trees and plantings, winding carriageways, 27,000 graves with intriguing marble, sandstone and granite monuments, all bear witness to the famous and not-so-famous who are buried here.

Come and see the resting place of Sir James Douglas, first governor of British Columbia, many subsequent premiers, coal baron Robert Dunsmuir, artist Emily Carr, Billy Barker of gold rush fame, and of Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie, the "Hanging judge."

Look also for the grave of John Dean, the disgruntled politician whose tombstone was erected many years before he died.

Find the unique fire hat markers, the giant South Seas Shell on the grave of a seafaring artist, and the rocketship that is a pun of the Rockett family name.

Ross Bay Cemetery Sunday History
Walking Tours
Start at 2 pm commencing in front of Starbucks, Fairfield Plaza, 1516 Fairfield Rd across the street from the cemetery.

Charges:
$5 for non-members;
$2 for members.
No reservations needed.

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Other Noteworthy Cemetary Tours

Gossip in the Graveyard
A lively tour about many scoundrels, characters and eccentrics at Ross Bay Cemetery you won't find in your history books!.

Gold Rush!
This tour is about some of the colourful men and women who made history in BC, Alaska, Yukon and the US West and are buried at Ross Bay Cemetery. Tales of doublecrosses, strange deaths, and the trail of dead horses