Robert Butchart bought land due to its richness in limestone quarries now known as the Butchart Gardens. He started his own Portland cement company and saved money due to the fact that he mined his own limestone instead of purchasing it. In 1904 Mr. Butchart and his wife Jenny decided to make their home here as well. They built a grand home which eventually grew to include a bowling alley, a richly panel laden billiard room and an indoor pool filled with salt water which was rare at the time. After the quarry was used up Jenny decided to move in soil from local farms and make it into a sunken type of garden.
