Kate Humble leads a Sunday morning stroll through the neighbourhoods of her youth.
Humble moved back to Victoria last year, and now works at the Marine Museum of British Columbia but has worked for a decade on and off with John Adams both here and overseas. Now the Oak Bay High grad uses her love of history to lead residents through Oak Bay’s hidden neighbourhoods with Adams’ Discover the Past walking tours.
“I try to pick little areas of Oak Bay and do different areas each season,” she said. In the spring she led residents through the York and Prospect Place area. On Sunday’s stroll, and one in late October, she explores Anderson Hill.
“We used to go sit up there and do French homework and we never thought about the story of Anderson Hill,” she said. “These are the things you never think about when you’re 16.”
The 90-minute tour reveals heritage homes designed by Samuel Maclure and new homes of unique design, the beauty of Anderson Hill Park and a First World War tale with a link to novelist P. G. Wodehouse.
“I tell the story of a variety of well-known historical families, and the story of the golf course,” she said. “I talk about our own aristocratic connection here. We’ve got Lady Chatfield who still lives in the area.”
She delves into the history of Anderson Hill and the early Spanish explorers.
“I have some wonderful stories about (Francis) Rattenbury,” she said. “There’s one wonderful connection with the author P.G. Wodehouse, one of the men who lived along the route is supposed to be one of the characters in one of his famous books.”
The walk starts at the corner of Beach Drive and Newport Avenue (end on Island Road) at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 16 .
Cost is $13 for seniors and students and $15 for adults. Visit discoverthepast.com for more walks.
cvanreeuwyk@oakbaynews.com