Where it is
Caulfeild is in western West Vancouver, between Cypress Park and Eagle Harbour, from the rocky shore around Caulfeild Cove and Lighthouse Park up the hill toward the Upper Levels Highway. People draw its boundaries a little differently, so on this page Caulfeild means that area, and the figures and homes above are drawn from listings there that name it. Park Royal is a short drive east.
A little history
The unusual spelling comes from Francis William Caulfeild, an Englishman who bought land here in 1899 and laid out an English-style village that followed the natural contours of the land rather than a grid. Before he returned to England in 1926, he donated about 25 hectares for parks and a site for the church of St. Francis-in-the-Wood, which still stands near the cove. The cove itself was once called Skunk Cove, where pilot boats waited to guide ships in and out of Burrard Inlet. The railway later brought service to Caulfeild and Horseshoe Bay.
The parks and the shore
- Lighthouse Park: about 75 hectares of old-growth coastal forest at the entrance to Burrard Inlet, with trails down to granite shoreline and the Point Atkinson Lighthouse, built in 1912 and now a National Historic Site.
- Caulfeild Park: a stretch of shoreline running from the Point Atkinson tide gauge station toward Stearman Beach.
Cypress Provincial Park, for skiing and hiking, is a short drive up Cypress Bowl Road.
The homes
Caulfeild is mostly detached homes on wooded lots, many of them irregular in shape because the streets follow the land. Homes range from West Coast Modern houses of the post-war decades, set into the rock and trees, to large new builds. Along the shore are waterfront homes on small coves, some of West Vancouver’s most private. There are a few townhomes and condos, but much less choice than in Ambleside or Dundarave.
Schools
Caulfeild is in the West Vancouver School District; Rockridge Secondary is nearby. The public school catchment depends on the exact address, so check it before you make an offer. Why catchments matter · Private schools
Buying in Caulfeild
I look at three things on every home here:
- The site: rock, slope, drainage, retaining walls and the driveway. Wooded lots also mean checking protected trees before any plan to build or clear.
- The house: post-war homes here are often architecturally significant and technically dated: roof, glazing, heating and any old oil tank. Reading a home inspection
- The title and the water: easements and covenants on title, and for waterfront homes, what you can build at the shore. Waterfront homes: docks and moorage
The numbers above tell you what the market is like today. A walk-through with me tells you whether a particular home is worth its price.
