Princess Mary was a passenger liners built by Bow, McLachlan and Company of Paisley, Scotland. She went into service for the British Columbia Coastal Service in 1910, a subsidiary of Canadian Pacific Railways. Among the Princess’ many serving highlights occurred on February 15, 1915 when the 30th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) boarded in Victoria on for the War in Europe.
A Favourite Harbour Restaruant
Princess Mary was removed from service in 1952, In 1954 her hull was lost at sea though part of her super structure was beached on Harbour Road in West Victoria, across the street from the Point Hope Shipyard. It was converted into a restaurant where the harbour’s business folk and workers went for a hot breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Over time the structure evolved into a formal restaurant known as the PRINCESS MARY’S RESTAURANT. She was run by Bill Lang who gathered a significant collection of maritime artefacts to add to her charm. Lang was a good friend to all afloat and made the restaurant available to the Victoria’s Classic Boat Festival for their annual awards banquets.
Over the years the Princess Mary became a favourite dining destination for many in Victoria. They were drawn by dishes like Allison Harbour deep fried prawns, Shrimp Loius, and Mary Cue’s strawberry pie… in season, of course! Ringing the ship’s bell was a favourite childhood treat.
In 2011 the structure was torn down to make room for a residential development. A plan was to save the structure and move it to Powell River but sadly this never came to pass. As one correspondent put it, “Good memories. Sorry we lost her…”
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