Brockton Pavilion, Stanley Park
by Noah Scheck
The Brockton Oval
The Brockton Oval and athletic fields situated on the eastern tip of Stanley Park, Brockton Point, is an icon of the Park and Vancouver. The grounds have provided access to entertainment and relaxation to generations of people over the 120 years since its inauguration in the late 19th century. The Brockton Oval boasts a sporting history that is almost as rich as the cultural and social history which surrounds the land that the fields are constructed on. The Brockton Oval and athletic fields are steeped in cultural significance as representative of sports and of social norms. It has been a hub of activity to generations of sporting enthusiasts.
Construction of the Current Landmarks
The naming of Brockton Point and coincidentally the reason for the naming of Brockton Oval based by its proximity to the Point, originated with the dedication of the eastern tip of Stanley Park to Francis Brockton. Francis Brockton was an engineer on the H. M. S. Plumper. The ship was part of the Royal Navy, captained by George Henry Richards (Richards Street in Vancouver is dedicated to the captain), in charge of surveying the west coast of British Columbia. While surveying the Burrard Inlet in 1859, Francis Brockton discovered a vein of coal. Richard would eventually name the discovery Coal Harbour and honour his engineer by naming Brockton Point after him.
Stanley Park was official opened on September 27, 1888. Earlier that year in May, various sports groups submitted an application to the city of Vancouver for permission to construct an athletic field within the Park. They were granted permission to do so. By September 1889 the road to the eventual site of the athletics grounds were completed, along with the ferry landing in the vicinity of the Nine O'clock Gun stand (northeast of the fields) in anticipation of the large number of people coming to the facility. Work on the actual athletic field was not started until 1890. The official inauguration of the field happened on the Dominion Day weekend, in 1891. There was a massive turnout for the event. Participants were charged twenty-five cents for transportation and admission.
Stanley Park was official opened on September 27, 1888. Earlier that year in May, various sports groups submitted an application to the city of Vancouver for permission to construct an athletic field within the Park. They were granted permission to do so. By September 1889 the road to the eventual site of the athletics grounds were completed, along with the ferry landing in the vicinity of the Nine O'clock Gun stand (northeast of the fields) in anticipation of the large number of people coming to the facility. Work on the actual athletic field was not started until 1890. The official inauguration of the field happened on the Dominion Day weekend, in 1891. There was a massive turnout for the event. Participants were charged twenty-five cents for transportation and admission.
The grounds would expand as popularity and demand for space increased. In 1892 grandstands were constructed. Additional athletic fields were constructed in 1917 and in the 1930s by Relief Workers. The Relief Worker were organized and funded by the federal government as a solution to the unemployment crisis of the Great Depression. The Brockton Clubhouse was constructed in 1927, and situated between the upper field (the rugby field and oval) and the lower fields (the cricket fields). The Clubhouse was restored in 1984. The date of when the grandstands were removed and replaced with the Brockton Oval Fieldhouse is not recorded in the limited sources available on the Brockton Oval.
As Vancouver's premier athletic field, the Brockton Oval has been the home for many sports clubs throughout its long history. In 1913 the following groups called the Brockton Oval home: Vancouver Cricket Club, Vancouver Hockey Club, Vancouver Rugby Football Union, Lawn Tennis Association, Polo and Jump Club, Vancouver Athletic Club, and many more. Some sporting groups were denied their request for space on the fields as they did not qualify or fit into the athletic fields demographic. For example the Vancouver Rifle Association's request for space to construct a target range was unanimously rejected. Times have changed and not all clubs are still associated with the Brockton Oval. The cricket and rugby clubs are the Oval's strongest supporters since the two groups are part of the original founding members. The Brockton Oval hosts a range of private and public events that can involve small groups or entire communities.
A Reflection on Society
Organized sports can show the dynamics of society, and it is no different with the Brockton Oval. For sports can be used as a tool for subtle indoctrination. The rise of industrialization caused a change in the practice of sports, from homogeneous to heterogeneous classes. This shift happened in Canada in the 1880s with the rise of amateur agencies or clubs and leagues. Industrialization caused the perception of time to change for now people had free time, and improved transportation and communication facilitated the growth of the games' popularity, which came to transcend larger geographical areas. This resulted in the creation of a larger viewing and participating demographic.
Prior to that time, the only group that could partake in sporting activities were the rich English elite, consisting of colonial estate holders, military officers, and merchant families. Cricket in colonial and post-colonial times is a good example of a practice associated with upper class elites and "Englishness."
Prior to that time, the only group that could partake in sporting activities were the rich English elite, consisting of colonial estate holders, military officers, and merchant families. Cricket in colonial and post-colonial times is a good example of a practice associated with upper class elites and "Englishness."
Amateur agencies were created for middle class and working class people to participate in the same organized sports as the social elite. Independent from the social elites the agencies still followed Victorian ideals. Victorian principals attempted to structure people's behaviour through sports and promoted efficiency, reason, standard organization, and submission to the rules, which were all qualities that were desired in a good English citizen. The rise of women playing organised sports reflects the change caused by the rise of feminism in the 20th century.
The broadening demographic, after 1880 influenced businesses. One of the most productive markets associated with sports was targeted by the food and beverage industry. Brockton Oval was being supplied early on with refreshing beer from the local Stanley Park Brewery located on the banks of Lost Lagoon. Closer of the original brewery halted the supply of refreshments from this supplier.
Cultural and Historical Heritage
The significance of Brockton Oval goes beyond the sporting culture and its influence on the landscape of Stanley Park. The fields and buildings, including the garbage and miscellaneous pieces of torn clothing dropped while participating in the games all contribute to the sites wealth. This wealth goes beyond the present day turf and clubhouse.
The Coast Salish communities of the Musqueam, Tseil-Watuth, and Squamish Nations have occupied what is now Stanley Park for generations preceding Colonial contact. There is not only a spiritual connection but potentially also a material connection to the area, specifically to the Brockton Oval athletic fields, where archaeological remains may be found. One of the oldest recorded village sites in Burrard Inlet is located close to Brockton Oval. Xw'ay Xw'ay, or Whoi Whoi, which means 'a place for making masks,' is located near Lumberman's Arch northwest of the fields. The site was occupied until 1888, when the residents were forcefully removed to allow the road that was being constructed around the Park to go through their village, and their midden was used for construction material
There is also an unofficial cemetery that was used between 1870 and 1880 by Chinese immigrants and local First Nations. The burials are believed to be located between Brockton Point and the Nine O'clock Gun stand. None of the graves were marked nor were the burials officially recorded and their location remains unknown.
Squatter villages have dotted the Brockton Point area since the creation of the Park. The villages were occupied by both European and First Nations groups and more recently by the displaced urban poor. These groups can leave a range of material remains behinds.
There is also an urban legend that talks about a buried treasure somewhere at Brockton Oval. It is reported that that a sum of $26 000 is buried somewhere along the edge of the lower cricket field. The money was place there by a bank robber who heisted the Bank of Montréal in July 1942. Park officials and police excavated the area but never retrieved the money.
Respect should be paid to the entire cultural heritage of the site. The public should not remove or deface any of the materials. Cultural and historical remains can help to enrich our understanding of the places where our day to day interactions take place.
The Coast Salish communities of the Musqueam, Tseil-Watuth, and Squamish Nations have occupied what is now Stanley Park for generations preceding Colonial contact. There is not only a spiritual connection but potentially also a material connection to the area, specifically to the Brockton Oval athletic fields, where archaeological remains may be found. One of the oldest recorded village sites in Burrard Inlet is located close to Brockton Oval. Xw'ay Xw'ay, or Whoi Whoi, which means 'a place for making masks,' is located near Lumberman's Arch northwest of the fields. The site was occupied until 1888, when the residents were forcefully removed to allow the road that was being constructed around the Park to go through their village, and their midden was used for construction material
There is also an unofficial cemetery that was used between 1870 and 1880 by Chinese immigrants and local First Nations. The burials are believed to be located between Brockton Point and the Nine O'clock Gun stand. None of the graves were marked nor were the burials officially recorded and their location remains unknown.
Squatter villages have dotted the Brockton Point area since the creation of the Park. The villages were occupied by both European and First Nations groups and more recently by the displaced urban poor. These groups can leave a range of material remains behinds.
There is also an urban legend that talks about a buried treasure somewhere at Brockton Oval. It is reported that that a sum of $26 000 is buried somewhere along the edge of the lower cricket field. The money was place there by a bank robber who heisted the Bank of Montréal in July 1942. Park officials and police excavated the area but never retrieved the money.
Respect should be paid to the entire cultural heritage of the site. The public should not remove or deface any of the materials. Cultural and historical remains can help to enrich our understanding of the places where our day to day interactions take place.
Significance of Brockton Oval
The Brockton Oval and the athletic fields' cultural and historical importance ranges from pre-colonial to modern times, it is a cultural landscape that has been modified over time and shaped by the activities that were taking place there. Its place as a cultural marker for society in British Columbia through time best supports Stanley Park being a National Historic Site. The history of the sports fields and the grounds they cover needs to be better represented and more information on the sites rich cultural heritage that is at play in defining the current landscape.
External Links for more Information:
British Columbia Mainland Cricket League history
Coast Salish history
Evergreens Rugby Club history and association to Brockton Oval
National Historic Sites of Canada
Stanley Park Brewery history
Coast Salish history
Evergreens Rugby Club history and association to Brockton Oval
National Historic Sites of Canada
Stanley Park Brewery history
External Links to Pictures
Figure 3
http://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/pro-rec-demonstration-in-brockton-oval-stanley-park-2;rad
Figure 5
http://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/bicycle-race-at-brockton-point;rad
Figure 6
http://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/view-of-cricket-match-at-brockton-point-oval;rad
Figure 7
http://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/military-parade-at-brockton-oval;rad
Figure 8
http://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/womens-field-hockey-team-assembled-in-front-of-fence-at-brockton-point-grounds;rad
http://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/pro-rec-demonstration-in-brockton-oval-stanley-park-2;rad
Figure 5
http://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/bicycle-race-at-brockton-point;rad
Figure 6
http://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/view-of-cricket-match-at-brockton-point-oval;rad
Figure 7
http://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/military-parade-at-brockton-oval;rad
Figure 8
http://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/womens-field-hockey-team-assembled-in-front-of-fence-at-brockton-point-grounds;rad
References Used and Sources of Additional Information
Beautiful Earth
2012 Brockton Point. Electronic Document. accessed March 17, 2013.
Bollwitt, Rebecca
2012 Vancouver History: Brockton. Electronic Document. accessed March 17, 2013.
Chong, Jeffery
2011 If Logs Could Talk: A Brief Introduction to Stanley Park. Electronic Document. accessed March 17, 2013.
Dick, Lyle
2000 Commemorative Integrity and Cultural Landscapes: Two National Historic Sites in British Columbia. APT Bulletin 31(4): 29-36.
Donnely, Peter (editor)
2000 Taking Sports Seriously: Social Issues in Canadian Sport, 2nd ed. Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc., Toronto.
Fletcher, Thomas
2011 The Making of English Cricket Cultures: Empire, Globalization and (post) Colonialism. Sport in Society: Cultures, Commerce, Media, Politics 14(1): 17-36.
Gruneau, Richard S.
1999 Class, Sports, and Social Development. The University of Massachusetts Press, Amerst.
Mawani, R.
2005 Genealogies of the Land: Aboriginality, Law, and Territory in Vancouver's Stanley Park. Social & Legal Studies 14: 315-339.
Steele, Mike
1993 Stanley Park. Heritage House Publishing Company Ltd., Surrey.
2012 Brockton Point. Electronic Document. accessed March 17, 2013.
Bollwitt, Rebecca
2012 Vancouver History: Brockton. Electronic Document. accessed March 17, 2013.
Chong, Jeffery
2011 If Logs Could Talk: A Brief Introduction to Stanley Park. Electronic Document. accessed March 17, 2013.
Dick, Lyle
2000 Commemorative Integrity and Cultural Landscapes: Two National Historic Sites in British Columbia. APT Bulletin 31(4): 29-36.
Donnely, Peter (editor)
2000 Taking Sports Seriously: Social Issues in Canadian Sport, 2nd ed. Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc., Toronto.
Fletcher, Thomas
2011 The Making of English Cricket Cultures: Empire, Globalization and (post) Colonialism. Sport in Society: Cultures, Commerce, Media, Politics 14(1): 17-36.
Gruneau, Richard S.
1999 Class, Sports, and Social Development. The University of Massachusetts Press, Amerst.
Mawani, R.
2005 Genealogies of the Land: Aboriginality, Law, and Territory in Vancouver's Stanley Park. Social & Legal Studies 14: 315-339.
Steele, Mike
1993 Stanley Park. Heritage House Publishing Company Ltd., Surrey.