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Ross Bay Cemetery
Memorial Entrance Project
In partnership with the Old Cemeteries Society of Victoria and the City of Victoria, Lennox Masonry completed the new memorial gate and heritage masonry works at Ross Bay Cemetery in the south Fairfield neighbourhood in fall 2023. Founded in 1872 and designated a municipal heritage site, Ross Bay Cemetery contains thousands of graves and numerous historically significant monuments. Our scope included building and finishing the entrance pillars, conserving adjacent stonework, and coordinating with heritage stakeholders to ensure the new gate respected the cemetery’s historic character while providing a durable, low‑maintenance public entrance.
History
The Ross Bay Cemetery was founded in 1872 when the City of Victoria purchased the land from Robert Burnaby and converted into a graveyard for the growing population of Victoria, BC. Ross Bay was originally named after Isabella Ross who was an Indigenous woman and the first female registered landowner in BC. She used her 99 acres of land to create a farm called Ross Bay Fowl Bay Farms but then began selling parcels of the acreage to individual buyers as the farm became unsuccessful. One of those parcels of land would go on to become what is now 27.5 acres of cemetery, containing over 30,000 grave sites.
Ross Bay Cemetery is one of Victoria’s most important heritage landscapes, containing tens of thousands of interments and many heritage monuments and markers. The memorial gate project marked the cemetery’s 150th anniversary and represents a community effort to make the site more accessible while preserving its historic fabric. Lennox Masonry’s role focused on masonry conservation and new construction elements that would visually integrate with the cemetery’s 19th‑century stonework.
Building The Pillars
Challenges
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Working on an active, municipally designated heritage site required careful planning, restricted access windows, and close stakeholder coordination.
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Matching new masonry to aged stonework in colour, texture, and tooling while using modern, durable materials for longevity.
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Protecting adjacent graves, monuments, and landscape features during excavation and construction.
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Meeting City of Victoria heritage guidelines and OCS expectations for authenticity and reversibility where possible.
Technical approach & methods
We sourced a peppered-granite stone that harmonized with the cemetery's existing masonry and utilized a lime-based mortar between the granite to match the look and feel of traditional mortar.
Foundations, drainage, and durability
To ensure the gate pillars withstand Victoria’s coastal climate and freeze‑thaw cycles, we engineered robust foundations with compacted road base and weepable drainage layers to prevent long‑term moisture ingress and corrosion.
Stakeholder coordination & permitting
Lennox Masonry coordinated closely with the Old Cemeteries Society, City of Victoria representatives, and the project’s carpentry and metalwork contractors to align on historic detailing, construction sequencing, and public safety management during the project.
Project Timeline & Results
Project start: early 2023 (site assessments and approvals)
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Construction: spring–fall 2023 (site preparation, foundation works, stonework, finishing)
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Completion and public opening: fall 2023
The completed memorial gate now provides a respectful, durable entrance that complements Ross Bay Cemetery’s Victorian landscape and improves public access for visitors and community events.
Community & heritage impact (2 short paragraphs)
The memorial gate was delivered as a community‑focused heritage project; it enhances the cemetery’s public presence while acknowledging its cultural and historical importance. By working with the Old Cemeteries Society and the City of Victoria, Lennox Masonry contributed masonry expertise that balanced conservation ethics with practical durability—helping ensure Ross Bay remains a cared‑for historic place for future generations.
Media
Check out our video which details some of the building process associated with constructing the pillars at Ross Bay Cemetery. Please Like & Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for future updates!
Interested in heritage masonry or conservation for your property or community project? Lennox Masonry offers heritage assessments, mortar analysis and matching, conservation repairs, and full rebuilding for historic chimneys, walls, and gates. Contact us to discuss how we can help conserve and restore your heritage masonry.