I am picking up some chatter that the restaurant at Prospect Lake formally known as the Saanich Road House, Hunting Horn, Cock Pheasant etc could be the new office of a renovation contractor.
This property has an interesting past.
Legend has it that when it was a residence in days of old, the owner, Mr. Hunter, was killed when he was removing stumps with dynamite. (that last woof you hear ain't no dog)
Mrs Sowden then acquired the property and the Cock Pheasant was born as a tea house. Mrs. Sparky worked for Mrs. Sowden while she was going to school.The tea house was then expanded to a restaurant by Mr. and Mrs. Neilson. Mr. Neilson was a former head chef of the Legislature Dinning room.
The operation was then purchased by myself and a partner. I didn't last long. The restaurant business seems glamorous, but in all fairness it was a daily grind of 25 employees, 25 suppliers, and 150 people coming to your house every night for dinner. We sold it in 1978 to a fellow that changed the name to the Hunting Horn. It has had a few more owners since then.
If the rumours are true, then this is the end on a era for the eatery. It probably makes financial sense to use the property for another purpose. I wish them well. It has been sad to see it just sitting there vacant for the past number of years.