150-year-old Charlottetown B&B transports guests to the Victorian era

Filled with antiques, original fixtures, and various vestiges of the Victorian era, Charlottetown’s Fitzroy Hall Bed & Breakfast has only been owned by three families in 150 years.

When visitors walk through its doors they feel as if they’re stepping back in time. That’s exactly how the owners want it.

“I haven’t changed much of anything, maintained exactly how it was,” said owner Helen Doucette.

The building was built in 1872 for about $5,000. Doucette and her husband bought it in 1993 and have been running it as a bed and breakfast since.

“You can’t have a house like this unless you have a business with it, because it’s an enormous amount to keep restoring it and keeping it up to date,” said Doucette.

Fitzroy Hall is a designated heritage building, so little has changed. But since it also serves as a home, some modern amenities have been added over the years.

Still, Doucette says they do what they can to maintain the original parts of the home, and make any repairs and renovations look as close to the original as possible.

“I like to keep it the way it is. We do spend a lot of money to make the mouldings and everything. Sometimes we’ve gone to the point of making the saw for the moulding so we can get the exact thing.”

The building has been a business and home much of its life. Georgina Coles, daughter of former Prince Edward Island Premier George Coles, built it.

Georgina’s husband held one of Charlottetown’s early banks.

“Alexander Brown was a banker, and he had the bank in the house, in one room.”

The second owners operated the first ready-made goods store in Charlottetown.

Doucette says business was tough through COVID-19 lockdowns but has since improve. She says as long as it stays that way they’ll keep maintaining the piece of Charlottetown history.