VICTORIA AND VANCOUVER ISLAND - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 152

SURROUNDING THE MUSEUM
In front of the museum, the 27-meter (89-foot) Netherlands Centennial Carillon was a
gift to the city from British Columbia's Dutch community. The tower's 62 bells range in
weight from 8 to 1,500 kilograms (3,300 pounds) and toll at 15-minute intervals 7am-10pm
daily.
On the museum's eastern corner, at Belleville and Douglas Streets, lies Thunderbird
Park, a small green spot chockablock with authentic totem poles intricately carved by Pa-
cific Northwest peoples.
Beside Thunderbird Park is Helmcken House (10 Elliot St., 250/361-0021, noon-4pm
daily in summer, donation), the oldest house in the province still standing on its original
site. It was built by Dr. J. S. Helmcken, pioneer surgeon and legislator, who arrived in Vict-
oria in 1850 and aided in negotiating the union of British Columbia with Canada in 1870.
PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS
Satisfy your lust for governmental, historical, and architectural knowledge all in one by
taking a free tour of the harborside Provincial Legislative Buildings, a.k.a. the parliament
buildings. These prominent buildings were designed by Francis Rattenbury and completed
in 1897.