Sidney Museum

Sidney Museum Collecting and sharing the history of Sidney and North Saanich, BC on the traditional territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ People. Open 10am-4pm everyday!

Sidney Museum and Archives offers research facilities in the Archival Department of the museum. Please call for further information

In addition to the displays, Sidney Museum and Archives has very active educational programs for students in grades K - 12. The programs are available by reservation all year. (250) 655-6355

Sidney Museum and Archives features special monthly exhibits throughout the year.

This the Sidney Museum is proud to be hosting the travelling exhibition "A Seat at the Table: Chinese Immigration and ...
05/25/2026

This the Sidney Museum is proud to be hosting the travelling exhibition "A Seat at the Table: Chinese Immigration and British Columbia." Developed by the Chinese Canadian Museum in partnership with the Museum of Vancouver and the University of British Columbia, this exhibit will be on display until November 15, 2026.

A Seat at the Table examines Chinese immigration to this province as a story that is local and global, historical and contemporary. Using food and restaurant culture as an entry point, the exhibit features stories that point to the great diversity of immigrant experiences and of the communities that immigrants develop.

To accompany this exhibit, the Sidney Museum will be presenting displays representing aspects of Chinese Canadian history in Sidney, North Saanich, and the surrounding islands. Through recent research and oral history sessions, the Sidney Museum has new perspectives and increased understandings to share about the substantial Chinese Canadian history in the region. From the long history of restaurants owned and operated by Chinese Canadian Sidney residents to the Chinatowns of Sidney and James Island in the early 20th century, there will be much for those interested in local Chinese Canadian history to discover.

The Sidney Museum is located at 2423 Beacon Avenue, in the lower level of the Old Post Office building. The museum is open everyday from 10:00am-4:00pm. Admission is by donation. Please visit sidneymuseum.ca for more details.

The site of what is today the TD Bank on the northeast corner of Beacon Avenue and Fifth Street was once a vibrant commu...
05/21/2026

The site of what is today the TD Bank on the northeast corner of Beacon Avenue and Fifth Street was once a vibrant community hall, hosting everything from vaudeville shows to plays performed by local schoolchildren.

In 1932, Stacey’s Hall was built on this site with wood salvaged across the avenue from the remnants of Sidney’s Chinatown, which had been destroyed by a fire two years prior. The hall’s inaugural event, a fundraiser for the War Memorial Park Improvement Fund (a former park where the Mary Winspear Centre now stands), was a vaudeville show performed by artists from Victoria and attended by hundreds.

This theatrical variety show welcomed an incredible array of performers, aiming to attract a broad diversity of audiences across the region. The performances included a tap dancer, a singing duo, a burlesque trio who titled themselves as “Messrs.”, a pianist, a Coster comedian in addition to a number of humorists (acts not to be confused), a Russian dancer, a stick manipulator, a string duet, and a Cornish wizard assisted by his two daughters.

In addition to major travelling entertainments, over the next decade the hall hosted regular community meetings, dances, choir and music shows, school theatre performances, and the local badminton club’s games. Activities at Stacey’s Hall slowed a few years into the Second World War and by 1944, Ada and Herbert Gane were operating a dry cleaning business in the building.



📰 Saanich Peninsula and Gulf Islands Review, November 30, 1932

Today is with this year's theme being "Museums Uniting a Divided World”.From the International Council of Museums: "Mu...
05/18/2026

Today is with this year's theme being "Museums Uniting a Divided World”.

From the International Council of Museums: "Museums are trusted public spaces where people encounter stories, objects and one another. In times of social fragmentation, polarisation, and unequal access to knowledge and culture, museums help rebuild connection across generations, across communities, and across borders, fostering dialogue, understanding, inclusion, and peace within and between communities worldwide.

The theme 'Museums Uniting a Divided World' highlights the potential of museums to act as bridges across cultural, social, and geopolitical divides, fostering dialogue, understanding, and peace within and between communities worldwide. Museums do not erase differences but create conditions in which differences can be understood and handled with respect: by safeguarding heritage and memory, offering learning and reflection, and providing welcoming spaces where diverse voices can be heard. Open and accessible, museums foster diversity and sustainability."

Are you missing a hat? Mitten? Golf Clubs? We’ve got some items in our Lost & Found that we would like to return to thei...
05/16/2026

Are you missing a hat? Mitten? Golf Clubs? We’ve got some items in our Lost & Found that we would like to return to their owners. If you see something that is yours please come by the Sidney Museum. We’re open everyday from 10:00am-4:00pm.

All unclaimed items will be donated to the Beacon Community Services Thrift Store on May 31st.

Today is , a day to bring attention to gender-based violence.The Moose Hide Campaign is a Indigenous-led grassroots mov...
05/14/2026

Today is , a day to bring attention to gender-based violence.

The Moose Hide Campaign is a Indigenous-led grassroots movement that began in BC with the aim to engage men and boys in ending violence towards women and children. It has spread nation-wide inviting organizations across the country to commit to ending gender-based violence.

Wearing a moose hide pin is a commitment to respect women and children and speak out against gender-based violence. The Sidney Museum has them available all year-round, please pick one up today.

Lean more at: moosehidecampaign.ca

Does anyone recognize where this building used to stand?When the Merchants Bank Building was built on the corner of Beac...
05/14/2026

Does anyone recognize where this building used to stand?

When the Merchants Bank Building was built on the corner of Beacon Avenue and Third Street in 1912, Sidney was an unincorporated community with less than 300 residents.

The building hosted the Merchants Bank until 1935, which through a merger had become the Bank of Montreal in 1922. Following the departure of the bank, the building’s period as a restaurant began—a function that it held under different ownership until its demolition in 1976 and which continues to the present day in a new building erected on the site. By far the longest operating business in the old Merchants Bank Building was the Beacon Cafe which was run by the Eng family from 1946-1971.

This restaurant served up classic Western dishes and provided catering for many local banquets over the years, also bringing Sidney its first Chinese food restaurant with feature Western-style Chinese food on the Saturday night menu. Learn more about the Beacon Cafe and the Eng Family in our local connections area of our current exhibit, A Seat at the Table: Chinese Immigration and British Columbia.

When Eddie and Mary Eng retired in 1971 they sold the business to Bill Louie who operated the restaurant as the Silver Dragon Restaurant, continuing to serve up Chinese cuisine until 1982, even after the building’s demolition and the site’s redevelopment into multiple commercial spaces in 1976.

Today, though the building is no more, the restaurant tradition on the site continues with the Third Street Cafe which has been a popular dining spot in Sidney since the mid-1980s.



📸 Main Street, Sidney c.1915.
Group of people in front of the Merchants Bank of Canada including James Critchley, fifth man from right, and Henrietta Critchley, 7th woman from the left.
Sidney Museum and Archives, P1976.143.1

Some more great photos from our opening reception. Come see "A Seat at the Table: Chinese Immigration and British Columb...
05/13/2026

Some more great photos from our opening reception. Come see "A Seat at the Table: Chinese Immigration and British Columbia" at the Sidney Museum today!

We are open everyday from 10:00am-4:00pm. Admission is by donation

👩Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers, grandmothers, and motherly figures in your life!This portrait is of Eliza Ann (n...
05/10/2026

👩Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers, grandmothers, and motherly figures in your life!

This portrait is of Eliza Ann (né Michell) Wynne (1829-1900) and her two children, George (1857-1934) and Eliza Ann (1860-1938)

📸 Sidney Museum and Archives, P998.1.4

Back in March we shared a reel of some throwback photos to Sidney in the 1990s. Here they are in picture format if you’d...
05/07/2026

Back in March we shared a reel of some throwback photos to Sidney in the 1990s. Here they are in picture format if you’d like to take a longer look.

What are your favourite memories of Sidney from that decade?



📸 Sidney Museum and Archives, P2019.21.215,
P2019.21.222, P2019.21.223, P2019.21.229, P2019.21.231, P2019.21.232, P2019.21.240, P2019.21.243, P2019.21.247, P2019.21.248, P2019.21.250, P2019.21.252, P2019.21.265, P2019.21.270, P2019.21.279

Last week the Sidney Museum was thrilled to host members of the public to an opening reception of "A Seat at the Table: ...
05/06/2026

Last week the Sidney Museum was thrilled to host members of the public to an opening reception of "A Seat at the Table: Chinese Immigration and British Columbia".

Thank you to all who were able to attend including the Chinese Canadian Museum and family members featured in the exhibit.

"A Seat at the Table: Chinese Immigration and British Columbia" developed by the Chinese Canadian Museum in partnership with the Museum of Vancouver and the University of British Columbia will be on display at the Sidney Museum until November 15th. The museum is open everyday from 10:00am-4:00pm and admission is by donation.

We're bring back the hashtag because you may have noticed we have an exciting update to share about the Waterfront Sig...
04/29/2026

We're bring back the hashtag because you may have noticed we have an exciting update to share about the Waterfront Signage Project!

After 4 years of dedicated work behind the scenes, some of our new panels have been installed along the waterfront walkway and in front of the museum. More coming soon...!

Address

2423 Beacon Avenue, Lower Level
Sidney, BC
V8L1X5

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+12506556355

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Sidney Museum posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to Sidney Museum:

Shortcuts

Share

Category