Get carried away in Kerrisdale
For a taste of Canadian pub life―and some great shopping to boot―visit this lively Vancouver neighborhood
In a city famous for its chic and love of fun, one neighborhood is unlikely to validate both reputations. But Vancouver’s Kerrisdale is to this city’s élan what the maple leaf is to the Canadian flag: the very center.
After a day of shopping here, you could return home with an assortment of Armani suits or garden ornaments. But the place isn’t just about glitz or gizmos for sale: It has a rich history too. Though first settled in 1867 by the Irish McCleery brothers, who came to farm, Kerrisdale really came into its own in the late 19th century, when the Canadian Pacific Railway constructed a line that passed right through its heart. Kerrisdale got its name in 1905, when Mrs. William MacKinnon, one of the area’s earliest residents, was asked by the railway’s general manager to name the tram stop at what is now 41st Avenue. She chose the name Kerrisdale after her old family home in Scotland.
By the early 20th century, Kerrisdale and Shaughnessy, to the northeast, formed an enclave of wealth in what was a countrylike setting removed from downtown Vancouver. Grand houses sprang up in an assortment of architectural styles that reflected the area’s British roots: regal Tudors, fanciful Queen Annes, and Georgian revival extravaganzas. Many of these imposing old homes still stand, surrounded by clipped hedges and tall iron gates.
