Resources

Whether you’re researching a historic home, exploring New Westminster’s heritage or looking for information about heritage protection and services, you’ll find useful resources here.

City of New Westminster Heritage (a division of the City's Planning, Building and Development Office) features detailed information on:

• Heritage Protection and Development

• Heritage Research and Resources

• Queen's Park Heritage Conservation Area

• Heritage Revitalization Agreement Policy Refresh

• Heritage and Climate Action

New Westminster Museums & Archives (NWMA) cares for more than 36,000 objects, 50,000 photographs and 500 linear metres of archival records across three New West locations: Anvil Centre, Irving House, and the Samson V Museum. Their collections and exhibits explore the land, people and development of the place now known as New Westminster, offering opportunities to learn, research and discover the stories of our city.

Here are some of the heritage services and resources available through Heritage and NWMA:

• City of New Westminster Heritage Research and Resources: Research the history of a New Westminster home, building or family through property records, city directories, fire insurance plans, photographs, newspapers and other archival sources. Staff are also available to assist with your research, and a portion of the archives can be searched online.

• Heritage Inventory New Westminster: The Heritage Resource Inventory is an unofficial and incomplete listing of historic New Westminster properties. A property listed on the Inventory is not legally protected nor is the Inventory used for the purposes of Planning review. The Inventory was created in the 1980s and was the City’s first attempt at identifying local heritage assets.

• New Westminster Archives: Discover more than 150 years of records documenting the people, places, businesses and government of New Westminster. The collection includes photographs, maps, plans, diaries, letters, city records and oral histories — valuable resources for researching a home, family, neighbourhood or local business.

• NWPL Heritage Homes Tours Database: This guide to searching the NWPL Heritage Home Tours Database explains how to find illustrations and descriptions of homes featured in local heritage home tours from 1980 to 2017. Formerly housed at the New Westminster Public Library, the collection can now be searched through the New Westminster Archives online database. To find the first 38 years of the Heritage Home Tours collection, enter “NWPL heritage collection – Heritage Home Tours” in the Fonds / Collection Name field. The guide also includes tips for searching the wider database and discovering additional local historical content.

NWPL Online Catalogue: The New Westminster Public Library maintains a modest collection of books and other items focused on the history and development of New Westminster and the surrounding region.

Explore New Westminster's Heritage Homes that have been on tour: Enter an address, house name or click on the map pins to learn about homes that have been featured on Heritage New West's annual heritage homes tour.

BC Register of Historic Places Explore more than 5,000 formally recognized historic places across British Columbia, including buildings, neighbourhoods, trails and cultural landscapes. The Register highlights the places that contribute to our province’s unique identity and shared heritage. Tip: Search DhRr-33 to discover New Westminster’s Irving House.

Heritage BC: A member-based, non-profit organization that supports and advocates for British Columbia’s diverse heritage sector. Heritage BC helps individuals and communities across the province learn about, preserve and conserve cultural heritage. Heritage New West is a member of Heritage BC.

See a full-size colour palette of Vancouver’s official historical paint colours