Teahouses, Gardens, Golf and More: How Oak Bay Celebrates Canada’s British Heritage
The old-world gentility that permeates Oak Bay seems to greet you the moment you cross from Victoria proper into its leafy streets. Notable heritage homes, small parks and quaint gardens, and a culture heavily influenced by the British Isles are elements that make the community distinctive and out of the ordinary in Canada. It is as if a corner of England broke free from its island mooring and drifted gently across the Atlantic and Pacific until settling on an attractive and peaceful shoreline of Vancouver Island. Visitors can wander manicured avenues and drop in on tea rooms and friendly pubs, and ponder whether there is anywhere more British in the country than Oak Bay.
The British roots of Oak Bay run deep. Incorporated in 1906, the municipality was named for the Garry oak trees that dot its landscape, but its cultural DNA traces unmistakably to the United Kingdom. Its founders envisioned a coastal enclave modelled after English villages, and their vision persists more than a century later. Architectural flourishes include stately manors with half-timbered facades and pitched roofs.
A stroll along Oak Bay Avenue reinforces the Britishness of it all. Boutiques specialize in bespoke finds and local artisan crafts. Bakeries and coffee shops blend in with contemporary choices, while those who yearn for an authentic taste of England will find multiple establishments dedicated to serving a hot, perfectly steeped cup of tea.
At The Teahouse at Abkhazi Garden, the ritual of afternoon tea transcends mere refreshment. It is a sensory journey through heritage and horticulture. The garden’s origins are as romantic as they are regal. Created by Prince Nicolas Abkhazi and his wife, Peggy Pemberton-Carter, the garden is a testament to love, perseverance, and artistry. Nicolas, an exiled Georgian prince, and Peggy, a Shanghai-born British aristocrat, reunited after World War II and settled in the Oak Bay neighbourhood of Victoria. Together, they spent decades sculpting their one-acre property into a tapestry of rhododendrons, native rock formations, and winding paths. Their story imbues every bloom with meaning, and sipping tea amidst their living legacy feels like an homage to an era when life moved slower and beauty was a cultivated pursuit.
The Teahouse’s dining area is located in the former living room of the couple and is in itself intimate and charming. Among the menu options are afternoon and high tea served on tiered trays laden with finger sandwiches, warm scones with housemade clotted cream, and pastries. The egg sandwiches are prepared with free-range organic eggs from island farms, wild rice is used to make the blinis that are topped with smoked trout and crème fraiche, and macarons are elegantly Parisian. The tea menu, naturally, leans toward traditional English blends, like Earl Grey, as well as Abkhazi special house blends.
It is an experience that evokes the refinement of a London salon while anchored firmly in Vancouver Island’s lush natural grandeur.
Other options for a tea experience include The Oaks Restaurant, which has a traditional menu that includes a simple serving of tea and a scone with homemade jam and whipped cream or a full afternoon tea service finished with English trifle, and the White Heather Tea Room, serving beautiful trays of fine fare in their dainty restaurant.
Want even more tea culture? The Oak Bay Tea Party takes place annually in June, featuring “Alice In Wonderland”-style costumes, a parade, and a celebration on the beach with midway rides and grilled food.
For those seeking a more robust homage to British conviviality, The Penny Farthing Pub beckons. Styled after a Victorian-era public house, its dark wood interiors, stained-glass accents, and brass fixtures create a cozy ambience perfect for a pint and a pie. The pub’s name references the iconic 19th-century bicycle, an example of which is balanced on wood beams just below the pub’s ceiling—a playful nod to history and British influence. The menu also connects to that heritage. Fish and chips, bangers and mash, shepherd’s pie, and even chicken tikka masala are among the staples of British pub culture that are served alongside locally brewed ales—or, if you crave a taste of the old country, a pint of Smithwicks, Harp or Guinness. The Penny Farthing doesn’t merely imitate a British pub—it embodies its spirit, drawing locals and visitors alike into its inviting atmosphere.
You can say the same for The Snug Pub, the restaurant inside the district’s icon, the Oak Bay Beach Hotel. The Snug’s menu and drink choices celebrate local ingredients and Vancouver Island suppliers while its ambience, with a dark oak bar and friendly service, feels like an elegant oasis that you might find in Kent or the Isle of Mull.
Oak Bay’s dedication to tradition extends beyond its tea rooms and pubs. The community is home to two of the oldest golf courses in British Columbia, each echoing the game’s Scottish origins. The Victoria Golf Club, founded in 1893, is the oldest golf club in Canada still on its original site. Perched on a rocky promontory overlooking the Salish Sea, its links-style layout, buffeted by sea breezes, feels unmistakably British. A round here is as much about heritage as it is about sport. Nearby, the Uplands Golf Club, established in 1922, offers a parkland-style course with rolling fairways framed by towering Garry oaks, blending British design sensibilities with Vancouver Island’s rugged beauty.
Even Oak Bay’s recreational pursuits evoke England. Cycling and walking routes are gentle and easy. The shoreline walks at Cattle Point and McNeill Bay offer vistas that could be mistaken for the coasts of Devon—with the additon of snow-capped mountains within your sights.
Oak Bay’s natural surroundings are distinctly Pacific Northwest, yet the human imprint is unmistakably British. In a country as vast and diverse as Canada, Oak Bay stands out as a destination that retains the heritage of the nation’s early days of formation. It is not merely a collection of stylistic flourishes or culinary traditions imported from abroad. Rather, it is an homage to a cultural lineage that continues to inform its community, blending with an Indigenous history that has a meaningful say in planning and development and the evolving tastes and preferences of Canada.
The community has conserved its identity as it has adapted to change, making it a bastion of British heritage along Victoria’s serene seaside.