Ashby House Bed & Breakfast is in northwest Vancouver, British Columbia, in the heart of Vancouver’s downtown peninsula. It is within a ten-minute walk of the central business district, Stanley Park, Coal Harbour, English Bay, the ferry to Granville Island, and Science World. The home is located in a heritage area of Vancouver and is within minutes of several local restaurants. Ashby House Bed & Breakfast is a four-story Victorian-era home with three year-round accommodations and a fourth one that opens during the summer. The property owner, Robin Richardson, engages in several community events from his bed and breakfast, such as assembling a pirate ship on his front porch for trick-or-treaters on Halloween or setting up lights on Christmas, Valentine's Day, Canada Day, and other holidays.
Ashby House is one of less than 30 privately owned houses of the late 1800s; it is set in an end block of four similar houses and in a block of buildings all dating back at least 100 years. The house is about 3,600 square feet with four stories and sits on a postage stamp-sized lot of 33 by 66 feet, which the owner says "keeps the property taxes very low."
The house has been fully renovated and restored with period furniture. It also includes all the "modern conveniences," including central heating and air conditioning, fiber optic quantum wifi, and 6 bathrooms.
Ashby House offers three rooms year-round and a fourth in the summer season. The rooms are listed as follows: the James MacNeill Whistler Room with a queen bed and ensuite bathroom; the Sir Walter Scott Room with a king/twin bed, and private bathroom (which can also include the AA Milne room for an extra person, sharing the same bathroom); and the Gustav Klimt Room on the garden level, with a king/twin bed plus a double Murphy Bed, private entrance, and private ensuite full bathroom with a Victorian tub and separate shower stall.
Robin Richardson is the sole proprietor after Mary Anne’s passing in 2022. He lives in the house and provides guidance on local sites, restaurants, and a full-cooked breakfast each day. Check-in and check-out times are completely flexible as arranged with guests.
Rates are not subject to hospitality or tourism taxes, though the GST (Goods and Services Tax) of 5% is added to all quoted rates.
Ashby House offers the use of the front parlor, with “his and hers” Victorian armchairs, a piano, a fireplace, and Victorian chesterfield. There is also a spacious, furnished front veranda with tables, chairs, and two rockers for guests to sit and enjoy the view of the cottage garden. The garden comprises more than 20 rose bushes, and garden architecture built by Robin, including two arbors, rose cages, and a cane-backed pattern lattice fence. More than 6000 pedestrians/day use Bute Street, blocked to commuter vehicle traffic in four locations, as their main route to and from the city center.
It is also a designated bike route and may become a greenway in the next few years.
Breakfast at Ashby House is served each day between 8:30 and 10:00 AM in the dining room. Options include fresh fruit, yogurt, granola, local artisan bakery breads, cooked options of eggs (any style, including omelets), bacon, and sausage. Ingredients are locally sourced and organic where possible. Vegan and vegetarian diets can be accommodated with prior notice. Specialty items include French toast, pancakes, waffles, or Welsh cakes.
Among the many attractions in Vancouver, Robin mentions the city center in the northwest corner, which contains a downtown area and Stanley Park. Stanley Park is, according to Robin, one of the largest city parks in the world. Visitors may visit the nearby aquarium, mini golf courses, and a heritage rose garden within 10 minutes of Ashby House Bed & Breakfast. They may also venture to the harbor and see the Vancouver Convention Center. Guests can walk or bike along the 26-kilometer sea wall and stop by several nearby beaches.
Ashby House is in the center of the city core and close to many major areas of interest. Stanley Park is a ten-minute walk down the hill to the west. Additionally, Coal Harbour is ten minutes to the north, with the Vancouver Convention Center just another five minutes away. Sunset Beach, the ferry to Granville Island, the Olympic Village, and Science World are a ten-minute walk to the south, and the Vancouver Public Library, reminiscent of the Roman Coliseum, is a fifteen-minute walk to the east.
The integrated transit system of Vancouver contains buses and the Seabus to Lonsdale Quay on the North Shore. From there, visitors can transfer to buses to Lighthouse Park, Grouse Mountain, Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge, and Skytrain. Buses also lead to the airport and the eastern communities, such as Burnaby, Richmond, and New Westminster.
Vancouver also has an extensive bike route system and a local one-way bike rental system with many stations, the nearest being a block from Ashby House. There are more than 26 kilometers of sea wall accessible to both bikes and pedestrians.
Vancouver is a city set by the sea, at the estuary of the great Fraser River, and pressed against the coastal mountain range. Robin, the property owner, says the mixture of sea, sky, and mountains makes it unique. Vancouver's position as the major city of western Canada, and gateway to the Pacific nations, has developed a complex mix that is reflected most of all in food. Robin continues, saying, "there is virtually no food in the world that cannot be found [in Vancouver]." From the many farmers’ markets at various sites in the city, the farmers of the province bring fresh local produce, seafood, flowers, and artisan baked goods. Robin uses their products every day and cans Okanagan peaches for the winter, as well as making jam for the table from local organic blackberries and strawberries.
According to Robin, the Ashby House owner, his property is an integral part of the West End community. It displays seasonal decorations, including light displays for Christmas, Valentine’s, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Canada Day, Gay Pride week, and Halloween, when a pirate ship appears in the front yard.
The Halloween Pirates, of 10 or more volunteers, hand out a custom gold chocolate coin to more than 1,000 local celebrants.
Robin says a defining concept of a guest’s stay at Ashby House is that he would like them to feel they are staying at their grandmother’s house. He hopes they feel a sense of comfort, familiarity, and well-being without the stress of any demands. Robin strives to put people at ease and make connections. He explains that "the primary quality necessary to run a bed and breakfast is an interest in people." Robin finds his guests to be a continual source of information and interest. He enjoys the meeting and mixing of people at the breakfast table and the "inevitable revelation of the commonalities of people from the four corners of the earth." He has hosted people from Antarctica to Finland and Egypt to Palau. To him, a good morning is one where he can hear the sounds of "joyous conversation" in the dining room while cooking in the kitchen.
Robin describes the atmosphere at Ashby House as a place for people to socialize and enjoy the company of others. The Ashby House motto might be “not for the conversationally challenged.” Robin explains that "sometimes people want to be private and alone, but there are hotels for that." To him, a bed and breakfast is about "enjoying all the aspects of life."
As a result of this philosophy, there are very few rules at Ashby House. Smoking is permitted only outside on the porch. Pets are not accommodated unless by special arrangement. Guests are given a front door key and may come and go as they like. Breakfast is complimentary, so Robin says visitors may want to sleep in and catch brunch elsewhere.
Ashby House Bed & Breakfast is open year-round, minus the Oscar Wilde room. Its busiest season of operation is during the summer, according to Robin. He explains that the six months between April 15th and October 15th account for 80% of the business's income. Most visitors learn about the bed and breakfast online or by word of mouth.
Ashby House was built in 1899. It is a late-Victorian house with a style that presages the Edwardian, with lower ceilings and gentle staircases. The house was one of four built on an end block in the West End of Vancouver. It was built with water, sewer, and electricity installed. The first owner was a customs official for the Port of Vancouver, who later became a deputy minister in the provincial government. He moved in 1903 to a larger house down the hill and then on to Victoria. The original wallpaperer, Ernie Crush, signed the plaster wall in pencil before he installed the parlor and dining room paper over it. He went on to found the Globe, a paint and wallpaper company, but he was bankrupted by the great pre-WWI depression. The house was then owned by an accountant who bought it as a rental property, then sold it to a widow who ran it as a rooming house for over 40 years. Not only did she have locks on all the pantry doors and the rear staircase to prevent anyone from sneaking down to the kitchen, but she also prevented any “modernization” so it retained its original woodwork. She managed to spare the “stucco” upgrades common in the ’50s and ’60s and retained the original doors and door hardware.
Mary Anne and Robin bought the house in 1984. It was "not in good shape," but they moved in with their two children and have restored and enhanced the house over the years. In 1986, Vancouver hosted a World’s Fair. The city, desperate for tourist accommodation, offered a $30 license to anyone operating a bed and breakfast for the six months of the fair. It seemed like a good idea to Robin and Mary Anne, and by the end of the Fair, they determined it was both an enjoyable experience and a way to finance the ongoing renovations needed to restore the building. However, when they presented a financial case to their bank manager, he agreed it was a great idea, but the “policy” of the bank was not to make loans for “seasonal” revenue. Instead, he suggested a suite be installed and lent the money for the foundation upgrade on that basis.
The suite has yet to be built, but the house is now fully modernized and up to code. The latest renovation in 2020 was to upgrade the garden-level Klimt suite by adding a new ensuite bathroom and installing oak flooring throughout. Central air conditioning was installed at the same time. Additional changes included raising the house about 80 centimeters and installing California standard earthquake-resistant foundations.
Robin’s favorite part of running a B&B is hearing the experiences of his many guests. He enjoys hearing their descriptions of life in Antarctica, above the Arctic Circle, and living in both East and West Germany before and during the Berlin Wall. Ashby House has had judges from behind the Iron Curtain and high officials from NATO. Each person brings a story and an "amazing personal insight into events past." Robin feels that "very few people are so lucky."
989 Bute St
Vancouver, British Columbia V6E 1Y7
Canada
Victorian-Edwardian
Robin Richardson
