Garden Shed

The Garden Shed is important for its historical, agricultural and social values, particularly for its connection to the Cameron family, a well-known local farming family, its history as part of the Guisachan Ranch, and its support function today for Elaine Cameron’s historic gardens and the Guisachan Heritage Park grounds.

Constructed in c.1945, the Garden Shed was likely built as a multi-use and storage structure to support Gilbert Douglas (Paddy) Cameron’s farming operation, at a time when the Cameron farm was operating at its peak productivity. The farm included a successful dairy operation and mixed farm activities that included stock-raising, tobacco, feed crops and vegetable crops, as well as hosting the the Kelowna Riding Club beginning in 1947.

The Garden Shed is important as a remaining part of the overall suite of functional farm outbuildings related to the farm. One of very few early agricultural buildings still existing within the city limits and very close to downtown Kelowna, its presence provides a reminder of the early agricultural land uses in this now-developed area. The building’s form and remaining original and early building materials illustrate typical farm building construction in the region

The Garden Shed supports the operation of these adjacent gardens. Through its current use as a garden and grounds maintenance shed, the building retains a connection to the extensive Edwardian gardens developed in the 1920s and ‘30s by Elaine Cameron. Consisting of many varieties of roses, trees, shrubs, herbs and perennials, the garden has historically won numerous local and provincial garden competitions. A number of the original plants still exist on the site, while the original garden structure and plantings have been rehabilitated based on the information found in Elaine Cameron’s diaries.

The Garden Shed has value as part of the historic Guisachan House, originally a 480-acre parcel first
pre-empted in 1889, and subsequently owned by The Seventh Earl of Aberdeen who later became Governor General of Canada, serving from 1893-1898. Key to the maintenance operations of this local, accessible public city park, the Garden Shed today reflects the community vision and restoration efforts for the Guisachan Heritage Park.