Street/Place Names

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Click on any letter, above, to visit specific section of Street/Place Names

George Simpson photo courtesy Oak Bay Archives | 1994-050-001

Woodhouse Road (c 1955) created when the old Willows Fairgrounds was subdivided

	W
	Wakefield Road
	Origin unknown, possibly after an early settler.
	Wakefield Road was a one-block street between Cadboro Bay Road and the Willows Fairgrounds from 1920s –1950s. When the fairgrounds were subdivided in 1954 and Allenby Street was extended east through the fairgrounds, Wakefield Road was renamed to become part of Allenby Street
The lane running south from Allenby Street marks the east boundary of the old fairground and the western extent of Wakefield Road. A misalignment between the two streets is responsible for the dogleg in Allenby Street between the lane and Eastdowne Road.
	Click on TUTORIAL for Street Map Tutorial with viewing options
	Information welcomed
	Wales Road
	Origin uncertain, possibly after the Country.
	Called Durham Road prior to c 1940
	Walter Street
	Origin unknown, possibly after an early settler.
	Original name of Rosario Street. This short street was subsequently called Haro Street before renamed Rosario Street c1928
	Information welcomed
	Weald Road
	Origin uncertain, possibly descriptive from Old English weald, meaning "forest," or after area in southeast England called "The Weald" which was once heavily forested.
Weald Road was featured as an upscale Michigan street in the 2007 film, In The Land of Women, starring Meg Ryan and Olympia Dukakis. This movie, filmed mostly in the Uplands, is available in DVD format.
	Wessex Close
	Named after Wessex, England.
	Wessex Crescent
	Named after Wessex, England.
	West Thompson Avenue
	Origin uncertain, possibly after an early settler.
	This one-block street between Cadboro Bay Road and Willows Fairgrounds was considered an extension of Thompson Avenue until the fairground was subdivided in the early 1950s when it was renamed to become part of Neil Street
	Click on TUTORIAL for Street Map Tutorial with viewing options
	Westdowne Road
	Origin descriptive, western-most street in Lansdowne slope subdivision.
	Named by the Hudson's Bay Company
	Willow Crescent
	Former name of one-block section of Cadboro Bay Road between Willow Road and Bowker Avenue.
	Willow Road
	Origin descriptive, probably the access road to John Tod's Willows Farm.
	Name of short road to Willows Fairgrounds (from Cadboro Bay Road to about where Haultain is today) but renamed Willows Road in 1928. It was subsequently extended through the fairgrounds with1954 subdivision and named Eastdowne Road
	see Willows Farm
	Wilmot Place
	Named after Wilmot House, the home of Joseph Despard Pemberton, Jr.
	This street was originally the driveway to Wilmot House, the Pemberton property. The original garage still stands behind the fence at the end of the street
	Click on THE TALK ON THE STREET to enjoy the recollections of Richard Goodall
	Windsor Road
	Named after the Royal House of Windsor.
	Originally called Saratoga Avenue, renamed in 1921
	Click on NAMESAKE to learn namesake of WINDSOR
	Woodburn Avenue
	Origin unknown.
	Named by the Hudson's Bay Company
	Woodhouse Road
	Named after W.L. Woodhouse, former reeve of Oak Bay.
	Woodhouse Road was a new street created when the former Willows Fairgrounds was subdivided in the early 1950s
	Woodlawn Crescent
	Origin unknown.
	Wootton Crescent
	Named after R.A.B. Wootton, former reeve of Oak Bay.
	Wootton Crescent was a new street created when the former Willows Fairgrounds was subdivided in the early 1950s

PLACE NAMES

	Willows Beach
	Named after John Tod's "Willows Farm"
	SONGHEES NAME Sitchamalth "Drift logs and trees that lodge themselves in the sand" The site of a former village occupied by a people of the same name. Parts of this site date back 2,700 years
	Willows Park
	There have been two Willows Parks in Oak Bay.
	The first Willows Park was an outgrowth of the Driving Park, which was established in the 1880s for horseracing and developed into the Willows fairground and racetrack complex before ultimately succumbing to the Carnarvon Park subdivision in the early 1950s. During the 1930s one of the exhibition buildings was converted to a motion picture soundstage and called Willows Park Studio.This first Willows Park is remembered today by Willows Park Grocery on Eastdowne Road.
	The second Willows Park, the one people know today on Beach Drive adjoining Willows Beach, was developed after the municipality purchased 3.5 acres of land from Robert Scott in 1913.
	Windsor Park
	Named after the Royal House of Windsor.
	Originally called Oak Bay Park when it was developed in 1895 by the tramway company 1 as a "winter destination" for its streetcar track extension to Oak Bay Beach
1 National Electric Tramway and Lighting Company Summer ridership was guaranteed with destinations such as Oak Bay Beach, the Mount Baker Hotel and the Victoria Golf Course. Windsor Park offered athletic events through the winter months to bolster winter ridership.

The History of Oak Bay Website
A CENTENNIAL LEGACY PROJECT