We welcome visitors on our guided walking estate tour to explore the Hatley Castle museum from April to September.
The guided tour is the only way for visitors to access the museum and exhibits, which are located in the lower level of Hatley Castle. Discover the stories of this beautiful site and the people who lived, worked and studied here.
The museum contains two rooms, each with artifacts and extensive panels that explain life during two distinct historic eras of the Hatley Park site.
Early history
Begin your museum visit by walking down a hallway where wall panels provide an introduction to the Songhees and Esquimalt families who have been stewards of this land since time immemorial.
Other panels explore the early industrial development of the property and how it transformed the site.
Hatley Park exhibit
The Dunsmuir Room has fascinating artifacts from James and Laura Dunsmuir’s family life, the history of the castle and gardens, as well as stories about the many staff and labourers who lived and worked on the estate.
Rear Admiral John A. Charles room
The Royal Roads Military College exhibit is named in honour of the founder of the Friends of Hatley Park Society. Here you'll find photos of each RRMC class, cadet uniforms, trophies, historical photographs and documents, as well as equipment used by the military college.