In 1913, Emily Carr paid $900 for a plot of land on Victoria Avenue in Oak Bay, according to a story told by Edythe Hembroff in her biography Emily Carr: Untold Story (1978), On the plot of land, she had built a 12 by 20 foot cabin the following year, “nail by nail” at a cost of $150 with the help of “one old carpenter.”. According to Eve Lazarus, author of Sensational Victoria, assessment records show that the architect as Samuel Maclure and the builder was Thomas Cattarall, the same “old carpenter” who built Craigdarroch for the Dunsmuir family and later worked with architect Samuel Maclure on Hatley Castle. By 1914, he was 70, retired, and living not far away on Beach Drive.

Interestingly as Lazarus points out, Emily wrote extensively about James Bay and her family home in The Book of Small, about her time as a landlady in The House of All Sorts, and about selling that house, her family home, and her later houses in Hundreds and Thousands. Yet with all these books, including her biography, there is not one mention of the Oak Bay cabin. She speculates the mystery cabin might have served as a much-needed refuge from her hated landlady duties, a place she could escape to now and then.

I find it curious that Emily was buying land and building her cottage in Oak Bay while simultaneously designing and constructing the House of All Sorts in James Bay, even borrowing from Alice to cover unexpected costs on her apartment build. How she managed it all remains a fascinating puzzle—one that hints at her restless energy, bold ambition, and perhaps a streak of mystery that has never fully been unraveled

In 1919, both her sisters Clara and Edith died, and Emily sold her cottage to Ellen Hodgson Phipps, the wife of a local farmer. The little cottage went through a series of owners and renters—mostly single women—as well as a number of alterations. In 1995, new owners wanted to build a house on the property but didn’t want to destroy the cottage. They tried to give the cabin to the provincial government which runs Carr House, but officials said no thanks.

At this point Terry Tallentire stepped in. She paid the city $1.00 and then raised the money and spent another $4,000 to move it to her house at 825 Foul Bay Road, another Samuel Maclure creation. An artist herself, Terry used Emily’s cabin for her studio. She moved years ago, but the cabin remained.

The property went on sale in 1924 and was listed for $5.5 million. The real estate listing indicates, it has a 3,600 sq.ft. owner’s suite, ten bedrooms, five private suites, and one “historic detached cottage” with a sign on the front that reads “Carr Cottage.”

The property went on sale in 1924 and was listed for $5.5 million. The real estate listing indicates, it has a 3,600 sq.ft. owner’s suite, ten bedrooms, five private suites, and one “historic detached cottage” with a sign on the front that reads “Carr Cottage.”