 The
house was built in 1862 by a Scottish pioneer sea captain named
Henry Bailey Ella. The house was called Wentworth Villa in honour
of his bride's hometown. Her name was Martha Beeton Cheney.
It has fourteen rooms and boasts two fireplaces. This is one
of the oldest houses in Victoria and is rare in its large and
imposing scale. It was designated a heritage property in 1977.
It has been an antique shop and owned by my family since 1940. At that time it had been slated for demolition by the City of Victoria for back taxes owing. The Ella family had fallen on hard times and lost everything during the Depression. My grandparents purchased the property from the city with the intention of residing and running the antique shop in the house. Faith Grant, whose name we retain in the company, was our grandmother who started the antique business in 1929 in a rental house still existing next door to our current premises. Our mother, Felicity Graham, was also active in the antique trade. My brother, Forrest Graham and I are now operating partners in this third generation antique shop, which now utilizes all fourteen rooms for display, as you will recall. To make a long story short, we have been in business for 72 years, which must make us somewhat of a Victoria landmark!
As to the interesting provenance of items in our inventory, the truth is that they all have a history. Our stock is hand picked from Island homes and it usually comes with a story! We'd like to pass that on to the next purchaser. When it comes to antiques, we are all just temporary custodians.
Should you have any further enquiries or would like photographs to include in your article, please do not hesitate to call.
Yours Sincerely,
Heather Graham Dickson
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