Brockton Point is a prominent peninsula in Stanley Park, located on the southern coast of Burrard Inlet, about 19 miles (30 km) north of Tsawwassen and 2.6 miles (4 km) southeast of West Vancouver, British Columbia. The point forms the north shore of Coal Harbour in Vancouver and was named after Francis Brockton, the ship’s engineer of HMS Plumper, commanded by Captain George H. Richards. In 1859, Brockton discovered a vein of coal, leading Governor James Douglas to name the embayment Coal Harbour and the point after Brockton. These coal deposits are part of the Nanaimo Group, a sedimentary rock formation mainly exposed on Vancouver Island, from Campbell River to Nanaimo, with smaller exposures along Burrard Inlet’s southern shore at Coal Harbour and Stanley Park. This coal formed from organic matter that accumulated in nearshore swamps, which were periodically inundated and buried by sediments from the eroding Coast Mountains during the Cretaceous period, 90 to 65 million years ago. About 32 million years ago, magma intruded and erupted as a basalt flow along the present-day northern shore of Stanley Park, between Prospect Point and Siwash Rock. Over thousands of years, wave erosion exposed the basalt, forming a dramatic cliff. During the Last Glacial Maximum, known locally as the Fraser Glaciation, most of British Columbia was glaciated. Ice more than 5,900 feet (1,800 m) thick flowed from the Fraser Lowlands into the Strait of Georgia, merging with other southward-moving ice to feed the Puget and Juan de Fuca ice lobes. The weight of the Fraser Glaciation depressed the land to 820 feet (250 m) below sea level. As glaciers retreated between 13,000 and 11,000 years ago, the land rebounded faster than the sea level rose due to melting ice. The retreating glaciers left a layer of unconsolidated sediments, or glacial drift, on the peninsula. From 9,000 to 7,000 years ago, the sea was about 16 feet (5 m) below its present level, stabilizing around 4,500 years ago.

Humans have inhabited the Fraser Lowlands for over 10,000 years. Archaeological evidence shows that the Stanley Park peninsula was occupied more than 3,000 years ago. This area is the traditional territory of various Coast Salish peoples. The Squamish Nation had a significant village called Whoi Whoi, or Xwayxway, meaning “place of masks.” The village featured several cedar longhouses, one measuring 200 feet (61m) long by 60 feet (18m) wide, housing large extended families. Another settlement, Chaythoos, meaning “high bank,” was located on the western shore of the peninsula. The first European explorers to visit the peninsula were Spanish Captain José María Narváez in 1791 and British Captain George Vancouver in 1792. By 1860, European settlers began building homes, starting at Brockton Point and later on Deadman Island. From the 1860s to the 1880s, early settlers used Brockton Point, Anderson Point, and Deadman Island as cemeteries. In 1865, Edward Stamp cleared part of the site to build a sawmill. However, due to rough currents and an offshore reef that hindered the construction of log booms, the mill was never built. Stamp relocated the sawmill to Gastown, establishing what would become Hastings Mill. The cleared point then served as the primary sports field for early Vancouver. In 1888, the park officially opened, named after Lord Frederick A. Stanley, Canada’s sixth governor general. At that time, village sites remained, and some Indigenous residents were forcibly removed to construct a road around the park. An ancient midden was used for construction material. Brockton Point is now the easternmost part of Stanley Park and features a lighthouse. Like the rest of the park’s coastline, the point is lined by the Vancouver Seawall.

Burrard Inlet and Coal Harbour became important ports of entry during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush in 1858. The risk of ship collisions led to the construction of a navigation aid at Brockton Point. In 1880, William P. Anderson was appointed chief engineer of the Department of Marine and Fisheries in Ottawa, serving until his retirement in 1919. During his career, he designed and built over 500 lighthouses and 50 fog-alarm stations across Canada. He likely designed the first light at Brockton Point, established in 1890. This consisted of a simple light with red and white lanterns mounted on a mast to mark the sharp turn toward First Narrows for outbound ships and toward Coal Harbour for inbound vessels. William D. Jones was the first keeper of the light. He built a cottage from driftwood collected from the nearby shore and lived there for many years, attached to the bell tower. In 1902, a house was built with a bay window from which a fixed white light with a red sector was displayed to replace the original pole light. A separate wooden bell tower was also constructed. In 1914, Brockton Point was transformed with the construction of the current square tower, painted white with a red horizontal stripe. It features a red lantern and an arched base with a walkway beneath. According to the property transfer document, it was designed by British landscape architect Thomas H. Mawson, who also constructed the lifeboat house and other landmarks in Stanley Park. The lighthouse has a focal plane of 41 feet (12.5 m) and has been managed by the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation since 2006. The light has been officially inactive since 2008 but may still be displayed occasionally for decorative purposes. The lighthouse was destaffed in 1956, and the house and surrounding gardens were paved over for a parking lot. Despite these changes, Brockton Point remains one of the most popular spots in Stanley Park. Read more here and here. Explore more of Brockton Point and Stanley Park here: