Upon arrival at Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal, from Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal, we drove the 36.1-km. (40-min.) distance straight to Hatley Castle. Almost theatrical to be real, its stone walls (which create age even when the story takes place elsewhere), central turret (which suggests authority, wealth and permanence) and formal gardens (which suits fantasy, allows dramatic arrivals and reveals the mansion slowly) seem to belong to another country. Changing character with surprising ease, the Castle can become welcoming, romantic and elegant in broad daylight while dark skies can give the walks a secretive presence.

We felt we may have seen it before as, on screen, it became famous for the X-Men film series having been featured in two series of related media as Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters (actually a school for young, fear and misunderstood mutants), starting from 2003’s X2: X-Men United and including X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) as well as Deadpool (2016) and Deadpool 2. Elements of Hatley Castle’s exterior influenced the new versions of Xavier’s school in X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, and Dark Phoenix. In Generation X, a 1996 Marvel TV film, marked the first time Hatley Castle  appeared as the X-Mansion.

Hatley Castle was also a scene for fairy tale royalty in the Disney movies Descendants (2015), Descendants 2 (2017), Descendants 3 (2019), Descendants: The Rise of Red (2024) and Descendants: Wicked Wonderland (2026) as Auradon Prep, the school for the children of Disney fairy tale characters.

For over 40 years, Hatley Castle, one of British Columbia’s recognizable filming locations, has also been the venue for dozens of other iconic Hollywood films and TV shows, playing a school, a private mansion, a royal academy, a swanky hotel or a menacing house.  They include:

• The Changeling (1979) – the dramatic ending scenes were filmed inside Hatley Castle which served as a mansion of a powerful senator.
• MacGyver TV series (1985) – in the second episode of season 5 (“The Legend of the Holy Rose, part 2”), the castle was used as the English home for the episode’s villain.
• Knight Moves – in the 1992 film, the exterior was portrayed as a swanky luxury hotel.
• Poltergeist: The Legacy – in this 1996 TV series, Hatley Castle was the headquarters of the Luna Foundation, a group of paranormal investigators.
• Masterminds (1997) – castle was used as Shady Glen School, supposedly an elite private elementary school in California, taken over by an evil spy (again played by Patrick Stewart of X-Men fame) who takes the students hostage.
• Seven Days (1999) – in episode 9 of season 2 (“Love and Other Disasters”) of the TV series, the castle is used as a home for a royal family and a place for a royal wedding.
• The Duke (1999) – the castle is the house of Hubert, dog protagonist.
• Smallville TV series (2001) – Hatley Castle is shown in the as Luthor Mansion, the estate belonging to the brilliant but complicated Lex Luthor (played by Michael Rosenbaum).
• The Mole (2001) – in this reality TV series, it is specifically featured in a jewelry heist sequence.
• Cypher (2002) – served as a backdrop for the movie’s sleek, mysterious settings
• The Dead Zone TV series (2002-2007).
• Fierce People (2004) – used as the stately home of the rich family clan of Ogden C. Osborne, many scenes of were filmed in the interior and exterior of Hatley Castle.
• The Clearing (2004) – starring Robert Redford, Helen Mirren and Willem Dafoe
• The Reality of Love (2004) – starring Jason Priestly and Bradley Cooper.
• In the Land of Women (2007) – starring Adam Brody and Kristen Stewart
• The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (2010) – in this Nickelodeon movie, it served as a fictional, ancient Romanian castle inherited by the family.
• The Killing TV series (2011) – shown as St. George’s military academy.
• Big Time Movie – based on the TV series Big Time Rush, some parts of the property were filmed for its 2011 release.
• Arrow TV series (2012) – shown as Queen Mansion, home of Oliver Queen (played by Steven Amell) and his family.
• Witches of East End TV series (2013) – shown as the home of the Gardiner family.
• UnREAL (2015) – in this Lifetime drama series, the grand historic estate serves as the backdrop for the production of Everlasting, the fictional, The Bachelor-style reality TV show within the series.
• Bones Fox TV series (2015) – in the season 11 episode “The Promise in the Palace,” it was shown as the Magic Palace.
• The Boy (2016) – in the horror movie, the castle was used for exterior and some production shots to represent a Gothic English manor.
• Supernatural  CW TV series (2017) – in the fifth episode (“Advanced Thanatology”) of season 13, its staircase was shown at the abandoned asylum.
• The Professor (2018) – also released under the title Richard Says Goodbye, it stood as a Liberal Arts college campus (where Richard Brown, Johnny Depp‘s character, teaches) located in the eastern United States.
• The Amazing Race Canada 6 (2018) – hosted the Starting Line.

Located within Hatley Park National Historic Site in Greater Victoria, this 40-room mansion, a Classified Federal Heritage Building, and its estate has, since 1995, been used as the administrative center of for the public Royal Roads University which leases the campus, for $1 per year, from the Department of National Defense.

This mansion, whose picturesque design is enhanced by a rich array of decoration and fine craftsmanship, was designed by the renowned Canadian architect Samuel Maclure and was built in the Scottish baronial style (the Tudor Revival style was popular in the Edwardian period). The castle was occupied by descendants of the Dunsmuir family until in 1937, after the Great Depression.

Here’s the historical timeline of the castle:

• In 1906, James Dunsmuir (British Columbia’s Lieutenant Governor), who was of Scottish descent, purchased the property.
• In 1908, the “Castle” was completed and the Dunsmuir family took up residence that same year.
• In 1912, the Dunsmuirs commissioned renowned American garden designers Franklin Brett and George D. Hall of Boston, Massachusetts, students of Frederick Law Olmsted, to develop a landscape for the entire site by creating many beautiful formal gardens.  Featuring a variety of native and exotic vegetation, the extensive grounds unfolded, from formal gardens, to recreational spaces, farmlands and forests. They named their estate, in the tradition of British and European private estates, as “Hatley Park.”   
• In 1939, following the death of Laura Dunsmuir (formerly Laura Surles of North Carolina) in August 1937, the estate was sold to the Government of Canada. The government sold off some of the land.
• In June 1939, “Maynard & Sons” conducted a public auction, for five days, of the mansion’s contents totaling 927 lots.
• In November 1940, at the outbreak of the Second World War, the federal Crown-in-Council purchased Hatley Castle for $75,000 for use as a wartime naval training facility and as the King’s royal residence in the event of an invasion of Britain. The royal family and British government decided against the former leaving the UK and King George VI, his wife, Queen Elizabeth stayed in London, while the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret were located at Windsor Castle.
• On December 13, 1940, HMCS Royal Roads was commissioned as an Officer Training Establishment for short-term probationary RCNVR sub-lieutenants. During this time, some 600 volunteer reserve officers underwent training.
• In 1941, the Castle served as a dormitory and mess hall for cadets and staff officers at RRMC until Grant Block was completed in 1943.
• On October 21, 1942, the training of regular force naval cadets was re-established in Canada, and the spirit of the old Royal Naval College of Canada was reborn with the establishment of the Royal Canadian Naval College at Royal Roads.
• In 1947, the Royal Canadian Naval College became the RCN-RCAF Joint Services College.
• In 1948, with the admission of army cadets, Royal Roads became the tri-service College known as the Canadian Services College Royal Roads.  
• In 1968, it was formally renamed Royal Roads Military College, a two-year feeder College for the Royal Military College and College Militaire Royal de Saint Jean until 1975.  It was named for the Royal Roads body of water, which forms the entrance into Esquimalt Harbour from the Strait of Juan de Fuca, lying to the east of the facility.
• On June 25, 1975, the Royal Roads Military College Degree Act was passed allowing the granting of degrees.
• In May of 1977, the first class graduated from Royal Roads.
• In 1986, the Castle was designated, in the Registry of Historic Places of Canada, as a Classified Federal Heritage Building.
• In the fall of 1989, the first class of postgraduate students graduated.
• On February 22, 1994, it was announced that Royal Roads Military College would close in the following year. Due to public support, the Province of British Columbia entered negotiations with the federal government of Canada to lease the property and facilities in order to continue its use as a university.
• On June 21, 1995, by an act of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia, Royal Roads University was created. That same year, the castle and grounds were designated a National Historic Site of Canada
• On August 31, 1995, Royal Roads Military College ceased to exist
• On September 1, 1995, the facilities were turned over to Royal Roads University which was opened as a public, degree-granting university.
• In 2008, the 100th anniversary of Hatley Castle was celebrated.

The impressive 200 ft. long and 86 ft. wide building, with an 82 ft. high turret, was built with local stone, trimmed with Valdez and Saturna Island sandstone. Too bad we weren’t able to see its lavish interior appointments of oak and rosewood panelled rooms, baronial fireplace, teak floors, and specially made lighting fixtures as access requires a guided tour (costing approximately $20 to $24) only available during the summer season (it was already the fall season during our visit).

We also visited the Grant Building (Building 24), the main academic building, laboratories, cafeteria, and offices.  Built in 1942, it was named for Captain John Moreau Grant, the first Commanding Officer of HMCS Royal Roads. Recently renovated, the building was recognized as a Federal Heritage Building in 1990.

Hatley Castle: 2005 Sooke Road, Colwood, British Columbia V9C 1Y8. Tel: (250) 391-2600.  Coordinates: 48.4343°N 123.4724°W.

How to Get There: Located about 20 mins. west of downtown Victoria, you can get to Hatley Castle by car, bus or taxi. From downtown Victoria, take the Trans-Canada Highway (#1) North-West, take exit 10 for Colwood and Sooke onto the Old Island Highway (#14), travel south-west for 3 kms. (2 miles), and turn left at the Royal Roads University campus entrance. You can also take an express bus (such as Line 95 or Bus 50 from downtown) and transfer toward Sooke Road / Colwood.