Top 10 Haunted Places in Victoria
Discover some of Victoria’s spookiest spots on your next visit.
Dying to be scared? Up the fear factor and visit one of the city’s haunted sites. Here are some unnerving spaces to add to your to visit:
Bastion Square and Helmcken Alley
Easily the most haunted part of Victoria. Each building and alleyway around historic Bastion Square has a ghost or two. The old Supreme Court building is said to be the most haunted, as it was built on the site of the city’s jail and first gallows. Many of the men who were hanged in the tree beside it still lie buried beneath its foundation. Helmcken Alley, located just off of Bastion Square, was once where prisoners were led through to the courthouse, rumour has it you can still hear their chains clanking today.
Local tip: Watch through the windows of the old courthouse, some claim to have seen the ghost of Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie, the former judge, who can be seen looking out into the square, ready to cast judgement on unsavoury onlookers.
Photo credit: @j_gibzzphoto (Instagram)
Market Square
Market Square and Chinatown have many stories of ghosts and the supernatural. Their secret tunnels might be myths, but their hauntings are real. The ghosts here long ago frequented the saloons, brothels and gambling dens that lined Johnson Street, Victoria’s once infamous red light district.
Local tip: Every October, Market Square embraces its haunted history and transforms into Market Scare, featuring creepy Halloween designs and misty fountains.
Chinatown
In Chinatown, feel the paranormal energy in Fan Tan Alley as you walk past its abandoned opium dens and gambling halls, but feel safe under the Gates of Harmonious Interest which are decorated with symbols to scare away evil spirits. Fan Tan Alley is Canada's narrowest street, and during spooky season, it's almost as though you can feel the walls closing in around you as the city's ghouls and ghosts come to life at night.
Victoria Chinatown Museum Society
Ross Bay Cemetery
Ross Bay Cemetery has the distinction of being the most spectacular Victorian-era cemetery in British Columbia, but it's also considered one of the most haunted places in Canada. Its winding, tree-lined carriageways, magnificent tombstones with poignant epitaphs and the distant views to the Olympic Mountains make it a memorable place to visit. The cemetery is noted for several resident ghosts, including Isabella Ross (the first woman in British Columbia to own land, whose farm stood where the cemetery is now).
Ross Bay Cemetery
Parliament Buildings
British Columbia’s Parliament Buildings are haunted by many ghosts, most notably Francis Rattenbury, the architect who designed them in the 1890s. His body rests uneasily in an unmarked grave in Bournemouth, England, where he was murdered by his wife’s lover. It is believed Rattenbury returns to haunt his most famous edifice to seek the recognition he craves.
Local tip: This Victoria, BC landmark is spectacular to visit night and day. We recommend returning after hours to snap some photos of the building at dark, as it lights up from the glow of over 3,600 light bulbs.
Hatley Castle
Hatley Castle, a 565 acre Edwardian estate, looks charming and colourful with sprawling gardens and a stately facade. The property is said to be haunted by ghosts of the Dunsmuir family who once owned it. Before becoming a National Historic Site and University, the grounds was home to a military college, where many cadets believe the ghost of Laura Dunsmuir would wake them from their sleep in the night, sometimes pulling them from their beds, as she searched for her departed son who was lost, but never found, during World War One.
Hatley Park National Historic Site
Fairmont Empress
The Fairmont Empress is one of the oldest and most famous hotels in Victoria. The apparition of thin mustached man walking the halls with a cane is thought to be of the building’s architect, Francis Rattenbury (he gets around!). A maid has also been seen on the sixth floor still cleaning after her death and guests have reported an elderly woman in pajamas knocking on their door. When guests try to help her find her room, she leads them toward the elevator before vanishing.
Fairmont Empress
Craigdarroch Castle
Craigdarroch Castle does not acknowledge that the building may be haunted, but rumours persist. An apparition of a little girl has been reported by staff, as well as the image of a maid. A woman’s feet have been seen running down the stairs, children heard crying, and music playing throughout the halls, while its source remains a mystery. This 25,000 square foot Bonanza castle is filled with brilliant wood work and one of the best stained-glass connections in North America, adding a regal ambiance to your ghost hunting journey.
Craigdarroch Castle Historic House Museum
Rogers' Chocolates
Rogers' Chocolates at 913 Government Street is a National Historic Site. It is also Victoria’s oldest and most haunted chocolate shop. Look for the ghosts of Charles and Leah Rogers, the founders, who often slept in the kitchen of their old store and who reputedly never left, when you step through the doors, you'll notice their painting is still on the wall, watching you back. This National Historic Site of Canada is an architectural marvel all its own, as one of the best examples of Art Nouveau design in the city.
Rogers' Chocolates
Chateau Victoria Hotel & Suites
The Chateau Victoria Hotel & Suites was built on the site of the historic white mansion of Miss Victoria Jane Wilson and her family. Soon after opening, the staff began to notice a nicely dressed, old-fashioned lady at the main floor bar — now Clive’s Classic Lounge — who would promptly vanish in front of them. Guests would sometimes be delayed when Victoria Jane would ride up and down the elevator with them, stopping at each floor.
St. Ann's Academy
Deeply concerned about what would happen to the school they erected, the original sisters of St. Ann’s Academy couldn’t leave and have been spotted in front of the building with troubled expressions. They had seen the building fall into disrepair after they moved out and to this day don’t believe that the honour of housing the Ministry of Education will last. It was also rumored that Thomas Hooper, St. Ann’s architect, killed people and had them poured into the foundations to give his buildings “souls.” When taking a stroll past the buildings, their eerie presence is undoubtable. While you explore the grounds, keep your ears peeled for the sound of ghostly singing, the sounds of children playing throughout the building, or even the bell ringing when there's no one around.
Local tip: The ghost of famed Canadian artist and writer, Emily Carr has been seen in the tower alongside her pet monkey.
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