Octagon Dairy Barn

Erin Nelson

This unique dairy barn, with its centrally placed silo and inward-facing milking stanchions, is the last known polygonal (multi-sided) barn in B.C. Its special shape has become the trademark of the Fintry Estate. Built in 1924, the barn housed Dun-Waters’ famous Ayrshire dairy herd. The Captain insisted on “only the best” and his championship animals had to have the finest accommodation. This barn, designed by an architect, is the result. Rough-sawn lumber used in it’s construction was probably cut in Dun-Waters’ own sawmill. The barn’s integral waste-handling system enabled both liquid and solid manure to be used as fertilizer on orchards and gardens.

The well-built structure has withstood the test of time. After 77 years, only the roof needed major repair. It was re-shingled in 2001 by the Friends of Fintry Society, with help from BC Parks and the Canada Millennium Partnership Program. It is now open for tours during the summer months.

Fintry Honeysuckle

Dun-Waters’ enthusiastic support for the handsome brown and white cows made Ayrshires a popular dairy breed in BC in the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s. He imported purebred animals from Scotland, donated a herd to the UBC Farm, encouraged the breed’s acceptance in the Okanagan and his famous Fintry herd won numerous awards for quality and quantity of milk. Dairy products from Fintry not only fed his staff and neighbors, but were welcomed on the elegant dining tables of the CPR sternwheelers plying Okanagan Lake.

After Captain Dun-Waters’ death, Fairbridge Farm students continued to raise and milk Ayrshires at Fintry, until the school was closed in 1948.

Recently, The Fintry Estate, as run by the Friends of Fintry Society, was welcomed back, as an honorary member, into the B.C. Ayrshire Cattle Breeders Association.

Friends of Fintry
PROVINCIAL PARK SOCIETY

7655 Fintry Delta Rd. Kelowna, BC V1Z 3B2

Phone: (250) 542-4031
E-mail: info@fintry.ca